as in to withdraw
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
backed away from the snake very slowly and carefully
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Recent Examples of back away
And yet the Republican administration and its congressional allies are showing no signs of caving to Democratic demands or backing away from threats to use the opportunity to pursue deeper cuts to the federal workforce.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
Video showed the man backing away from Sanchez, who stands 6-feet-2-inches, before the former quarterback followed then ran after the man, grabbing and throwing him toward the wall of the Westin, another downtown hotel, police wrote in the affidavit.
—IndyStar, 6 Oct. 2025
Sometimes the animal will also become stiff due to stress or roll up into a ball and back away from people.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Sep. 2025
McIlroy backed away, drawing jeers, before Lowry came over to settle him.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back away
Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
Video showed the man backing away from Sanchez, who stands 6-feet-2-inches, before the former quarterback followed then ran after the man, grabbing and throwing him toward the wall of the Westin, another downtown hotel, police wrote in the affidavit.
—IndyStar, 6 Oct. 2025
Sometimes the animal will also become stiff due to stress or roll up into a ball and back away from people.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Sep. 2025
McIlroy backed away, drawing jeers, before Lowry came over to settle him.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back away
Verb
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After occupying Sinai, Britain and France succumbed to international pressure and withdrew their forces from Egypt in November.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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In 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics withdrew its guidance that said potential allergens should be avoided for high-risk babies, but didn’t have enough data to recommend introducing them early.—
Meg Tirrell,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In the example below from their 2-1 win over Girona, Barcelona man-mark the opposition midfielders but Fermin Lopez’s passive positioning allows a pass into retreating centre-forward Portu.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Teddy demands that Michelle take him and Don to her Andromedan leader in the hope of forcing the invaders to retreat.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When fired for real in the film, the first intercepting missile malfunctions and falls back to earth.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Chronic insomnia, experienced by 10% of the global population, is defined by taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep or fall back to sleep up to three times weekly for more than three months.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But Kroos retired from all football in summer 2024, and there were concerns at the club this off-season that the squad lacks such experienced heads, after Modric (and fellow long-serving squad member Lucas Vazquez) also left.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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Glover, who left the church in 2007 and retired last year after a half century in the Assemblies of God, denied these accounts.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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McNeill dropped back and scrambled for a few seconds before finding Kash Kelly in the end zone for a touchdown.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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With space, Alejado dropped back and quickly spotted another wide-open target, Nick Cenacle.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20away. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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