walk back
verb
walked back; walking back; walks back
US
: 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
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
Julian HattemExamples of walk back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Before the outlet published its piece, Mizuhara walked back his statements and claimed Ohtani knew nothing about his gambling debts and didn’t transfer any money to Bowyer’s associate on his behalf.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
Their revolt is reshaping European policy — officials who previously promised to put the environment first and lead the world in a green transition have scrambled to walk back some of their own rules.
—Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Hours later, after lobbying by Speaker Paul Ryan, Mr. Trump walked back the statement in another social media post, and the bill passed.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
In the video, however, the department walked back that claim, saying the question of whether Savannah fired at deputies was still being investigated.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Biden has stated repeatedly in the past that the U.S. would intervene if China were to invade Taiwan, but the White House has walked back the statement each time.
—Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024
Since Musk’s takeover, X has walked back safety measures, restored the accounts of White supremacists and other rule violators and declined to remove pro-Nazi content.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Eventually, the victim woke up and walked back to his home about 200 yards away, where his mother called the police, and he was taken to Lincoln County Medical Center just north of the reservation, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 27 Mar. 2024
In what may have been the most relatable part of his video, Lenny walked back to his tour bus carrying several bags worth of Buc-ee’s merchandise with a big smile on his face.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 27 Mar. 2024
Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
Their revolt is reshaping European policy — officials who previously promised to put the environment first and lead the world in a green transition have scrambled to walk back some of their own rules.
—Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Hours later, after lobbying by Speaker Paul Ryan, Mr. Trump walked back the statement in another social media post, and the bill passed.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
In the video, however, the department walked back that claim, saying the question of whether Savannah fired at deputies was still being investigated.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Biden has stated repeatedly in the past that the U.S. would intervene if China were to invade Taiwan, but the White House has walked back the statement each time.
—Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024
Since Musk’s takeover, X has walked back safety measures, restored the accounts of White supremacists and other rule violators and declined to remove pro-Nazi content.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Eventually, the victim woke up and walked back to his home about 200 yards away, where his mother called the police, and he was taken to Lincoln County Medical Center just north of the reservation, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 27 Mar. 2024
In what may have been the most relatable part of his video, Lenny walked back to his tour bus carrying several bags worth of Buc-ee’s merchandise with a big smile on his face.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 27 Mar. 2024
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Walk back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walk%20back. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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