as in to withdraw
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
backed away from the snake very slowly and carefully
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Recent Examples of back away
Other tips include: Stay calm and back away slowly.
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Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2025
President Trump on Tuesday backed away from talk of a regime change in Iran, amid pushback from MAGA supporters about the possibility of deeper U.S. involvement in the Middle East.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 24 June 2025
At the same time, there’s been rising interest in new technologies for defense, with US President Donald Trump ramping up military spending and backing away from environmental commitments that powered the initial flood of interest in all-electric aircraft.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 June 2025
The summit will give G-7 members—who still account for more than half of global GDP—an opportunity to get Trump to back away from the ledge.
—Charles A. Kupchan, Time, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for back away
Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2025
President Trump on Tuesday backed away from talk of a regime change in Iran, amid pushback from MAGA supporters about the possibility of deeper U.S. involvement in the Middle East.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 24 June 2025
At the same time, there’s been rising interest in new technologies for defense, with US President Donald Trump ramping up military spending and backing away from environmental commitments that powered the initial flood of interest in all-electric aircraft.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 June 2025
The summit will give G-7 members—who still account for more than half of global GDP—an opportunity to get Trump to back away from the ledge.
—Charles A. Kupchan, Time, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for back away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back away
Verb
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Topline Half of the roughly 4,000 National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles last month amid immigration raid protests will be withdrawn, the Trump administration announced Tuesday, calling off the soldiers weeks after California Gov. Gavin Newsom unsuccessfully tried to block their deployment.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Stanley said crews were initially able to fight the fire near a chlorine leak at a water treatment facility, but eventually had to withdraw due to safety concerns for pilots who could breathe toxic fumes.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
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And in this story, Superman retreats from the world after being rejected by the public for adhering to an older moral code.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
10 July 2025
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But after several major box office debacles, including Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Apple retreated.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
9 July 2025
Verb
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The high is forecasted to fall back down to the low 80s.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
6 July 2025
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Paired with the 93,000 gain in the household measure of employment, this meant the unemployment rate fell back to 4.1% – its lowest since the start of the year.—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
3 July 2025
Verb
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Merle sold his barbershop the same day and retired.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
The Enquirer,
14 July 2025
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The same's true for someone who is retired and taking taxable withdrawals from traditional 401(k) plans.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
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With this removal, the number of Google apps supported on watchOS drops back to three: Calendar, Maps, and YouTube Music.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
1 July 2025
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But Oklahoma City’s shooting, which has been mediocre in this series, will have to improve in a high-pressure situation to make the Pacers pay for dropping back into the gaps.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20away. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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