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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of back out
Buda’s best friend had vowed to join him, but backed out at the last minute.
—
Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
After trimming a 17-point third quarter deficit to 12 to start the fourth quarter, Kerr sent the starters back out to begin the fourth quarter.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
While Perales’ workload has been limited to one or two innings so far, the Red Sox plan to stretch the righty back out as a starter.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Scientists measure the planet’s brightness by factoring in how much light reaches earth and how much is reflected back out to space (as measured by orbiting satellites).
—Ryan Green, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back out
Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
After trimming a 17-point third quarter deficit to 12 to start the fourth quarter, Kerr sent the starters back out to begin the fourth quarter.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
While Perales’ workload has been limited to one or two innings so far, the Red Sox plan to stretch the righty back out as a starter.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Scientists measure the planet’s brightness by factoring in how much light reaches earth and how much is reflected back out to space (as measured by orbiting satellites).
—Ryan Green, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back out
Verb
-
But Boise State didn’t back down.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Nov. 2025
-
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
-
Raptors guard Jose Calderon backed off and Lin pulled up.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Dado Ruvic | Reuters Bitcoin on Tuesday plunged below $100,000 for the first time in more than four months, as cryptocurrency holders backed off the risk-on asset amid growing concerns about the sustainability of stock valuations driven to stratospheric heights by the artificial intelligence trade.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
In a 2017 oral history of the notorious scene, One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn recalled that the origins of the scene lay in the idea of cultivating some sympathy for the villainous Dan.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Clarkson recalled that former boyfriend musician Graham Colton introduced her to Griffin’s music.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20out. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share