stand-down

or stand·down

[ stand-doun ]
See synonyms for stand-down on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Military. a temporary cessation of offensive actions; cease-fire; truce: a stand-down for the Christmas holidays.

  2. a work stoppage or layoff.

Origin of stand-down

1
First recorded in 1920–25; noun use of verb phrase stand down

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use stand-down in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stand down

stand down

verb(adverb)
  1. (intr) to resign or withdraw, esp in favour of another

  2. (intr) to leave the witness box in a court of law after giving evidence

  1. mainly British to go or be taken off duty

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with stand-down

stand-down

Leave a witness stand, as in The judge told her to stand down. [Late 1600s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.