stand off
Idioms-
Stay at a distance, remain apart, as in Carol stood off from the others . [First half of 1600s] This usage gave rise to the adjective standoffish for “aloof” or “reserved in a haughty way.”
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Put off, keep away, as in The police stood off the angry strikers . [Second half of 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Clarke's Scotland look better when they embrace chaos and do not stand off it, especially in home matches, when they can use a rocking home crowd to their advantage.
From BBC
He bought pies from a fruit stand off Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento and delivered them as apologies to targets of his rants.
From Los Angeles Times
It eventually came down to tense stand off during the results between Austria and Israel, with Austria eventually taking the Eurovision trophy.
From BBC
This could further frustrate the fragile peace process aimed at ending an increasingly tedious stand off.
From BBC
He denied there was a stand off between potential leadership candidates.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
