as in to back down
to break a promise or agreement
you'd better not back off on your promise to do all the planning for the big dance
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Recent Examples of back off
Microsoft backed off on almost all of Windows 8’s design decisions in the following years after the dramatic UI shift proved unpopular with traditional mouse-and-keyboard users, but touchscreen PCs like Microsoft’s Surface lineup have persisted even as the software has changed.
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Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
While acknowledging where his team is lacking, Sweeney didn’t back off the belief in his team.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Continue reading … STEPPING IN – GOP senator warns White House to back off after Ukrainian refugee murder.
—FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Monique had been the one to convince her to back off some, to trust in Miguel and try to have a life outside of grits bowls, poached eggs, and mimosas, to try to meet someone.
—Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back off
Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
While acknowledging where his team is lacking, Sweeney didn’t back off the belief in his team.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Continue reading … STEPPING IN – GOP senator warns White House to back off after Ukrainian refugee murder.
—FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Monique had been the one to convince her to back off some, to trust in Miguel and try to have a life outside of grits bowls, poached eggs, and mimosas, to try to meet someone.
—Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back off
Verb
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During the heat of summer, those grass roots are just biding their time, waiting for the temperatures to go back down.—
Charlotte Germane,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Sep. 2025
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Hungary's top diplomat told Newsweek that the only path to obtaining peace in Ukraine and ensuring Europe's security ran through a stable relationship between the United States and Russia, vowing Budapest would not back down in the face of pressure from EU and NATO allies on this front and others.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After the Cubs hit a pair of back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 2-1 lead, Counsell sent Palencia back out for the sixth to face Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Or might a loss at Carolina next Sunday immediately spring open that pen and let the wolves back out full-throated?—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On Thursday, there were 652 officers on the force, with nearly 100 cops out on some kind of administrative or medical leave.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Aug. 2025
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But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors.—
Maris Kreizman,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20off. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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