walk back
verb
walked back; walking back; walks back
US
: to retreat from or distance oneself from (a previously stated opinion or position)
… try not to say anything in the primary campaign that you might need to walk back in the general election.—
The Progressive Populist
The Progressive Populist… has tried to walk back his suggestion about Japan, in particular, claiming in recent days that he "never said" that the Asian nation should acquire nuclear weapons.—Julian Hattem
Julian HattemExamples of walk back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Just over 100 days after the unthinkable, clergy and community prepared to walk back in.
—Frankie McLister, CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025
Stanaland and Morrissey ended the night by walking back to the hotel hand-in-hand with Honey by their side.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
India walked back an order requiring smartphone companies to preinstall a government cybersecurity app, following widespread backlash.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Trump later walked back his comments.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
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.
Frankie McLister, CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025
Stanaland and Morrissey ended the night by walking back to the hotel hand-in-hand with Honey by their side.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
India walked back an order requiring smartphone companies to preinstall a government cybersecurity app, following widespread backlash.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Trump later walked back his comments.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
Cite this Entry
“Walk back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walk%20back. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share