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
The board’s decision to rename the center was followed by an exodus of artists who backed out of events, including Philip Glass and Renee Fleming.
—
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
Sometimes a boat will have to get halfway into a lock, and then back out just to help push the ice through, Briggs said.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 25 Mar. 2026
An investor group led by businessman Ron Burkle was awarded an MLS expansion team in 2019, but backed out in 2021, citing pandemic-era construction cost hikes and a $50 million increase in the league entrance fee.
—JosÉ Luis Villegas, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The school allegedly backed out of the lease.
—Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back out
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
Sometimes a boat will have to get halfway into a lock, and then back out just to help push the ice through, Briggs said.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 25 Mar. 2026
An investor group led by businessman Ron Burkle was awarded an MLS expansion team in 2019, but backed out in 2021, citing pandemic-era construction cost hikes and a $50 million increase in the league entrance fee.
—JosÉ Luis Villegas, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The school allegedly backed out of the lease.
—Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back out
Verb
-
Quickly afterward, though, came the denials from Iran about talks, while Iran's semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies portrayed the American president as backing down.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Kesha dropped her assault lawsuit against the producer in California but did not back down from her other accusations.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Less than a month later, TSA committed to boost staffing, and Southwell backed off his threat.—
Kelly Yamanouchi,
AJC.com,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Treasury yields and the dollar retreated, with traders backing off some of their more hawkish Federal Reserve bets, pricing in a few basis points worth of easing this year.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To say these machines are too expense is a cop out.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
After the initial shock of Julie’s killing, neither Susan nor Leslie’s daughter, Rachel Ramstad, could recall their relatives being contacted by investigators.—
Annalise Peterson,
NBC news,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Center Dominic Toninato was recalled from Rockford on Friday morning to make up for Magiapane’s absence.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20out. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
