stand off

1. 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.”

2. Put off, keep away, as in The police stood off the angry strikers . [Second half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

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.

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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.

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It eventually came down to tense stand off during the results between Austria and Israel, with Austria eventually taking the Eurovision trophy.

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This could further frustrate the fragile peace process aimed at ending an increasingly tedious stand off.

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He denied there was a stand off between potential leadership candidates.

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Related Words

• halt 
• hamper 
• hinder 
• interrupt 
• postpone 
• put off 
• slow 
• stay 
• stop 
• suspend