back away

verb

backed away; backing away; backs away

intransitive verb

: to move away (as from a stand on an issue or from a commitment)

Examples of back away in a Sentence

backed away from the snake very slowly and carefully
Recent Examples on the Web By the afternoon, Johnson backed away from the idea. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024 When interest rates first soared in 2022, buyers backed away en masse, inventory swelled and home prices dropped. Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024 Keep a safe distance of 6 feet or more and slowly back away. The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024 Health advocates praised the Environmental Protection Agency for not backing away from tough limits the agency proposed last year. Michael Phillis, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024 The blowback played a role in his decision to back away from announcing a national limit, according to people who spoke with Mr. Trump afterward. Michael Gold, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024 Even after Trump had backed away from his earlier criticisms, Qatar remained anxious about its standing within the administration, according to former U.S. officials and those close to the emirate. Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024 Everyone immediately backed away from the apartment and took cover, the release says. Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024 Despite the collapse of Ms. McDaniel’s deal, NBC and its peer networks are unlikely to back away from relying on Washington veterans to offer commentary alongside traditional journalists. John Koblin, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'back away.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of back away was in 1833

Dictionary Entries Near back away

Cite this Entry

“Back away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20away. Accessed 2 May. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on back away

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!