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
Jensen Huang may have walked back his comment on China winning the AI race, but the People’s Republic’s leading tech companies are pushing ahead at full speed.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 7 Nov. 2025
However, on Wednesday the president walked back previous threats of funding cuts to New York City.
—Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
After lunch, Tracy and I walked back to the hotel to meet Paola Ramos, our Peruvian guide, and our new tour mates in the lobby.
—Ryan Knighton, AFAR Media, 31 Oct. 2025
Announced in October 2022, Disney’s agreement to co-produce Doctor Who was inked at the height of the streaming wars, just weeks before Bob Iger walked back into the building and started scaling back spending.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
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Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 7 Nov. 2025
However, on Wednesday the president walked back previous threats of funding cuts to New York City.
—Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
After lunch, Tracy and I walked back to the hotel to meet Paola Ramos, our Peruvian guide, and our new tour mates in the lobby.
—Ryan Knighton, AFAR Media, 31 Oct. 2025
Announced in October 2022, Disney’s agreement to co-produce Doctor Who was inked at the height of the streaming wars, just weeks before Bob Iger walked back into the building and started scaling back spending.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 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 10 Nov. 2025.
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