walk back

verb

walked back; walking back; walks back

transitive verb

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
… 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

Examples of walk back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Carlos Narváez led off with a single, then walked back to the dugout as Nate Eaton took his place. Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 27 Sep. 2025 Last year, Dimon walked back his plans to step away from the CEO role in the next five years. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025 Once the dog was secured, the two walked back to the parking lot, and Hawkins was able to text the pooch's owner using the number on the dog's tag. Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025 The victim's brother Jacob Robinson, told WTMJ-TV 4 that Giovanni was walking back to his hotel after having dinner and drinks to celebrate his first hole-in-one at Whistling Straits Golf Course when he was shot and killed. Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for walk back

Word History

First Known Use

2000, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of walk back was in 2000

Cite this Entry

“Walk back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walk%20back. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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