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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Others have backed away from more public displays of involvement. Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024 However, Gascón could still back away from that plan in the next few hours due to sharp divisions in his office, individuals close to events caution of the fickle prosecutor. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024 Season 2, which premieres this week after a 19-month hiatus due to last year’s strikes, backs away from this basic foundation, leaving a story that’s just as tonally muddled but even less focused. Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2024 Unwilling to pay the price of backing away, the Biden administration wound up committing the United States more deeply to the Middle East, including by proposing a defense treaty with Saudi Arabia and sending aircraft carriers and 6,000 additional U.S. personnel to the region. Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for back away 

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 23 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on back away

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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