stand aside

present singular third person stands aside · participle present standing aside · participle past stood aside · past stood aside

1. To step sideways to make a space for someone else.

   Stand aside, please, so the doctor can get through.

2. To resign a job or position voluntarily so that someone else can have it instead.

   It's time he stood aside and let a more qualified person do the job.

   1 more example

   For months, Dati warned she would refuse to stand aside. Now she has stunned the political class with an open letter to Fillon in Le Monde, a scathing character assassination accusing him of the "lone ambition" of a disillusioned political elite, of doing politics in a way that "never favoured women" and stopping ethnic-minority candidates from progressing at elections. She said he was committing "a sad mistake" in trying to run in Paris.

   2011 December 14, Angelique Chrisafis, “Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism”, in Guardian

   Synonyms: stand down

3. To temporarily recuse oneself from action or decision-making in some domain.

   The minister will stand aside during the investigation.

   Synonyms: stand down