as in to back down
to break a promise or agreement
you'd better not back off on your promise to do all the planning for the big dance
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Recent Examples of back off
Discouraged, Bennett and Shad backed off a bit and watched the fish return to the same position, giving Bennett enough time to calm down and re-rig with the same lure.
—
Kubie Brown, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2026
The governor backed off his battle with the oil companies last year after two refineries announced plans to close.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
The aim is to cut close where safe, back off where risky, and avoid getting stuck.
—New Atlas, 15 Mar. 2026
According to Stutzman, the WGSU has not backed off several demands, including the right to strike during the term of the agreement and a contract term that aligns with the MBA bargaining cycle.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back off
Kubie Brown, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2026
The governor backed off his battle with the oil companies last year after two refineries announced plans to close.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
The aim is to cut close where safe, back off where risky, and avoid getting stuck.
—New Atlas, 15 Mar. 2026
According to Stutzman, the WGSU has not backed off several demands, including the right to strike during the term of the agreement and a contract term that aligns with the MBA bargaining cycle.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back off
Verb
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Tehran shows no signs of backing down.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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That capsule went on a looping trip around the moon that lasted over three weeks and covered over a million miles before splashing back down in the Pacific.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So if officials back out of the project, Rosenburgh said the NCDOT board will question other projects for the Charlotte area.—
Desiree Mathurin
March 27,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
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The ice is naturally reflective, sending some of the sun’s rays back out to space.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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To say these machines are too expense is a cop out.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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Rather than throwing those bad cops out of the union and asking for better training so cops will never have to ask what to do when a fellow cop appears to have broken the law, Hendry encourages them.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20off. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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