as in to back down
to break a promise or agreement
she backed out on her offer to help with the wedding planning
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of back out
Will Arnett will fill David Harbour's shoes after the Stranger Things star backed out of director Tony Gilroy's upcoming drama, Entertainment Weekly has confirmed.
—
Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026
Later in the third quarter, the Warriors elected to double Leonard off a Brook Lopez ball screen, forcing Leonard to eject a pass back out to Lopez.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
The rebound kicked left, and Berglund swung it behind the net and fed it back out at the right post, whence Drancak scored.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
But contracts for the sale fell through and would-be buyers backed out.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back out
Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026
Later in the third quarter, the Warriors elected to double Leonard off a Brook Lopez ball screen, forcing Leonard to eject a pass back out to Lopez.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
The rebound kicked left, and Berglund swung it behind the net and fed it back out at the right post, whence Drancak scored.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
But contracts for the sale fell through and would-be buyers backed out.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back out
Verb
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But Boise State didn’t back down.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Nov. 2025
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But Hélène Lacombe is an expert in small spaces, and not one to back down from a challenge which, in this studio, was creating a real living room.—
Annabelle Dufraigne,
Architectural Digest,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But last month, Critchfield backed off in the face of a challenging state budget.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
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Tensions came to a head when Carrie confronted her for backing off.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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On Thursday, there were 652 officers on the force, with nearly 100 cops out on some kind of administrative or medical leave.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Aug. 2025
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But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors.—
Maris Kreizman,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Love recalled visiting a Nashville-area location with her best friend when they were told it had been discontinued.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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The founder recalled that the brand, which turns 16 this year, began with the strategy of selling bags to sneaker boutiques, which at the time typically exclusively sold shoes; his concept was well-received.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20out. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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