back away
verb
backed away; backing away; backs away
: 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
Workers back away from Wells Fargo union Like North Carolina, Florida is a right-to-work state.
—
Chase Jordan
april 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
In that interaction, forehead-to-forehead with Ayers and then slowly backing away, back to his bench, Hurley never blinked.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
Then, the crew will manually back away, pause and fly toward specific reflectors on the side of the upper stage.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
And so our coalition, early in Johnson’s administration, met with the mayor and deputy mayor to establish the office through ordinance; since October 2024, the mayor has backed away from the effort and remained silent and nonresponsive about this necessary strategy.
—Michael Pfleger, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back away
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.
Chase Jordan
april 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
In that interaction, forehead-to-forehead with Ayers and then slowly backing away, back to his bench, Hurley never blinked.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
Then, the crew will manually back away, pause and fly toward specific reflectors on the side of the upper stage.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
And so our coalition, early in Johnson’s administration, met with the mayor and deputy mayor to establish the office through ordinance; since October 2024, the mayor has backed away from the effort and remained silent and nonresponsive about this necessary strategy.
—Michael Pfleger, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back away
Cite this Entry
“Back away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20away. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
