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
Julie Solis, 50, walked back and forth along Alameda Street holding a Mexican flag and urging the crowd to make their voices heard, but to keep the scene peaceful.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
The report was released by the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank that served on the advisory board of Project 2025, a right-wing policy initiative that called for the FDA to walk back its approval of mifepristone.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 5 June 2025
But after Trump won election back to the White House, buoyed by his strong support in coal country, his administration moved quickly to walk back many of those programs.
—Bob Ortega, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
This represents a fraction of the $2 trillion goal originally envisioned by Musk, a figure that the Tesla CEO has walked back several times.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
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James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
The report was released by the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank that served on the advisory board of Project 2025, a right-wing policy initiative that called for the FDA to walk back its approval of mifepristone.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 5 June 2025
But after Trump won election back to the White House, buoyed by his strong support in coal country, his administration moved quickly to walk back many of those programs.
—Bob Ortega, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
This represents a fraction of the $2 trillion goal originally envisioned by Musk, a figure that the Tesla CEO has walked back several times.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 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 13 Jun. 2025.
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