stand down

4 antonyms for stand down — opposites grouped by meaning.

Verb — To resign from a position, or to withdraw from a contest or candidacy, leaving the way clear for someone else.

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

To resign from a position, or to withdraw from a contest or candidacy, leaving the way clear for someone else.

“She will stand down as chair at the AGM.”

resign step down withdraw quit

Opposites

stand for stand

2. verb

To end a state of alert or readiness, or to order forces or emergency crews to do so.

“The fire crews were stood down at midnight.”

Opposites

stand to mobilise

Antonyms

stand for stand stand to mobilise

How to use stand down

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

stand down as leader stood down at the election crews were stood down stand down the alert

The resignation sense is chiefly British; American English usually says step down. The alert sense is military and emergency-services usage and is often passive: they were stood down.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between stand down and step down?

They overlap for leaving a post, with stand down the more British choice. Stand down additionally covers not seeking re-election and ending an alert, neither of which step down expresses.

What does stand down mean in the military?

It means come off alert and return to normal routine, either at the end of a period of readiness or when an operation is cancelled. The opposite order is stand to.

What is the difference between stand down and back down?

Backing down means abandoning a demand or position under pressure, and implies losing an argument. Standing down is about vacating a role or ending an alert, and carries no such implication of defeat.

People also searched

stand quit withdraw resign mobilise

Nearby words

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