To maintain a distance from someone or something, especially for safety reasons. Often used as an order. Make sure you stay back from that cliff—one gust of wind could send you flying right over the edge!The children always try to stay back from the scary old man who lived on the corner of their neighborhood.Stay back—Tom is still really contagious!
stay back (from something)
to keep one's distance from someone or something. Stay back from the lawn mower! This is dangerous. Stay back!
stay back
v.
1. To refrain from approaching. Used chiefly as a command: Stay back!—I've got a knife.
2. To repeat a grade level in school: The teacher suggested that our child stay back a year.