Definition of "stand down"

stand down

verb
third-person singular simple present stands down, present participle standing down, simple past and past participle stood down
1. (idiomatic) To wait; to stop pursuing, stop fighting, or relax from a heightened readiness posture.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To withdraw or retire from a position or from a team.
  Quotations
  The remaining four locomotives in traffic […] are all expected to be stood down due to their high engine hours, as well as being due exams which the company is not prepared to undertake.
  2023 November 29, “Last remaining DB Cargo Class 60s face final workings in December”, in RAIL, number 997, page 19