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
The Stretford End serenaded him with comparisons to Schmeichel, who was forced to walk back his scepticism on the basis of one game.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The walk back from OpenAI follows a similar move around the use of intellectual property.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
That committee has since walked back recommendations for the Covid shot.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Surveillance footage showed Steiner walking back to the store and firing multiple shots through a drive-thru window, according to the outlet.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
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Mark Critchley, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The walk back from OpenAI follows a similar move around the use of intellectual property.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
That committee has since walked back recommendations for the Covid shot.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Surveillance footage showed Steiner walking back to the store and firing multiple shots through a drive-thru window, according to the outlet.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 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 Oct. 2025.
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