step back

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

After the young widow stepped back behind the black curtains, where scoops of mint chocolate chip in disposable bamboo bowls drifted through a room of donors and White House staffers, the evening moved from celebration to wake. — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026

A lot of showrunning and creating to me is about like hosting a party and then stepping back and letting the conversation happen, and this cast really had that conversation. — Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026

At a press conference on Monday NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said the space capsule will head to the International Space Station (ISS) on an uncrewed test flight as soon as December—a technical step back for the multi-billion-dollar initiative. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 28 Sep. 2026

Four of the group’s six members performed, as Manon Bannerman and Sophia Laforteza are currently on hiatus; both stepped back citing their mental health. — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for step back

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