walk back

verb

walked back; walking back; walks back

transitive verb

: to retreat from or distance oneself from (a previously stated opinion or position)

… try not to say anything in the primary campaign that you might need to walk back in the general election.—

The Progressive Populist

… has tried to walk back his suggestion about Japan, in particular, claiming in recent days that he "never said" that the Asian nation should acquire nuclear weapons.—

Julian Hattem

Examples of walk back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Trump’s proposal on Tuesday appeared to walk back that piece of the TCJA. —

Rebecca Picciotto, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2024 After stirring controversy with her remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris, Janet Jackson is walking back an apology made on her behalf. —

Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 23 Sep. 2024 Moments later, the man in black turns around and walks back toward Gloria from behind, then swings, landing a punch to her face. —

Greg Wehner, Fox News, 18 Sep. 2024 For previous absurd Ig Nobel Prize awards, take a walk back through the archives that includes winners from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019. —

New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for walk back

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