step back

phrasal verb

stepped back; stepping back; steps back

: to stop doing something or being actively involved in something for a time so in order to think about it and make decisions in a calm and reasonable way

You need to step back and give yourself some time to work through this.

Examples of step back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And so to step back into that role was pretty special. —EW.com, 7 Aug. 2025

So at the end of the day, take a step back. DEADLINE: There’s a flashback with Susannah (Rachel Blanchard). —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2025

Investors, who had driven shares of the company up 90 percent over the past year, decided to take a step back given the cloudiness going into the fall and sent shares of the company down 6.4 percent to $283.62 in midday trading. —Evan Clark, Footwear News, 7 Aug. 2025

Toby Huss was in a really unique position with this show’s return, both stepping back from playing Kahn and then continuing the role of Dale Gribble, who was voiced by the late Johnny Hardwick. —Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2025

Rhymes for step back

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback