stand down
Leave your post
Stand down means to withdraw from a position, role, or confrontation.
Military forces stand down when they return from high alert to normal readiness.
A candidate who stands down withdraws from a race: The senator stood down after the scandal broke.
More casually, to stand down is to back off or stop being aggressive: Stand down—this isn't worth fighting over.
Relaxed, not tense
- disarmRemove capacity to harm
- demobilizeDisband military forces
- disengageBreak free from attachment
- ceasefireAgreed halt to fighting
truce · armistice · decommission · redeployment · debrief · peacekeeping · noncombatant · garrison
Render harmless
- calmFree from agitation
- back offStop pressing someone
- dial backDecrease gradually or partially
- easeLack of strain
soften · relax · pull back · moderate · pacify · diffuse · reduce · step back
Cease employment permanently
- resignVoluntarily leave office
- abdicateFormally renounce authority
- vacateLeave a place empty
- relinquishVoluntarily give up control
bow out · departure · exit · withdrawal · renounce · cede · hand over · succession
at ease
Relaxed, not tense
- disarmRemove capacity to harm
- demobilizeDisband military forces
- disengageBreak free from attachment
ceasefire · truce · armistice · decommission · redeployment · debrief · peacekeeping · noncombatant · garrison · muster out
defuse
Render harmless
ease · soften · relax · pull back · moderate · pacify · diffuse · reduce · step back · cool it
retire
Cease employment permanently
relinquish · bow out · departure · exit · withdrawal · renounce · cede · hand over · succession · give way
halt
Complete sudden stop
- stopCease all motion
- discontinueTo stop doing
- suspendHalt or hang temporarily
end · terminate · desist · abort · cancel · call off · hold · pause · break off · stay
- fighting wordsfight me, bring it, square up, throw hands, step outside
- disciplinemisconduct, violation, time-out, timeout, grounded
- giving upgive up, giving up, quit, quitting, surrender
- surrendersurrender, surrenders, surrendering, I surrender, capitulate
- Back Offback off, hands off, butt out, step back, keep away
- quittingquit, resign, resignation, stop, end
stand downescalate
Increase in severity
double down · advance · stand firm · dig in · confront
down, stand, standing, understand, stood, stands, outstanding, withstand, misunderstand