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
Giving it up altogether was not an option; the idea of going out to dinner and not drinking seemed like going to a pool that had no water in it and just walking back and forth along the bottom instead of swimming.
—Sarah Miller, New Yorker, 20 June 2026
Still, 20 minutes before the shooting started, Payton walked back to his car parked at 10th and J to pick up his Glock 19 handgun, loaded with an 18-round clip.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
There’s probably a few lines ready to be discussed then walked back on her new album, Music, Fashion, Film, which comes out on July 24.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 June 2026
Huang later walked back those comments.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for walk back
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Sarah Miller, New Yorker, 20 June 2026
Still, 20 minutes before the shooting started, Payton walked back to his car parked at 10th and J to pick up his Glock 19 handgun, loaded with an 18-round clip.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
There’s probably a few lines ready to be discussed then walked back on her new album, Music, Fashion, Film, which comes out on July 24.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 June 2026
Huang later walked back those comments.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 17 June 2026
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 23 Jun. 2026.
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