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
At times, the piano players in his groups would simply back off during part of Rollins’ solos, loath to risk following the twisting pathways of his improvising.
—
Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
Rays starting pitcher Griffin Jax (1-3) was hit by a 107-mph line drive in his back off the bat of Leody Taveras in the second inning.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.
—Munir Ahmed, Fortune, 23 May 2026
These grassroots complaints have haunted Cornyn throughout his reelection campaign, leading him to back off his past support of the filibuster.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for back off
Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
Rays starting pitcher Griffin Jax (1-3) was hit by a 107-mph line drive in his back off the bat of Leody Taveras in the second inning.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.
—Munir Ahmed, Fortune, 23 May 2026
These grassroots complaints have haunted Cornyn throughout his reelection campaign, leading him to back off his past support of the filibuster.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for back off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back off
Verb
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Getting commercial property values back down to a 15% increase ceiling entailed manually reviewing the assessed values of hundreds of properties countywide, targeting anything valued under $5 million in 2023.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
31 May 2026
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Imagine a line of 300 people hiking up a sheer slope, taking a chairlift back down from the top, and then repeating the loop continuously for a day and a half.—
Kristy Ellmer,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The Knicks are back out in front, as Jalen Brunson is balling despite hobbling after hurting his right knee and left ankle.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
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After not starting for seven games, Song played at second base Sunday and Tuesday while Tatis moved back out to right field.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Strategic shakeup Usually buying and selling is a cop out, but with where the Red Sox are in their competitive cycle the approach might make some sense.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
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The case, which has only recently come to the attention of POST officials, highlights the limits of state oversight even after lawmakers passed significant police reform aimed at forcing dishonest cops out of the profession.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20off. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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