as in to withdraw
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
backed away from the snake very slowly and carefully
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Recent Examples of back away
The Georgia General Assembly tried to face the issue this year but backed away at the last minute from a bill that almost passed.
—
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Her announcement touched off a new round of progressive candidates backing away from the Iron Dome.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
Between 2002 and 2003, the IRS flirted with building a free online filing system and then backed away, in part owing to private tax preparers that didn’t want to lose their grip on the process.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
However, many prior vocal GOP advocates for doing so have since backed away from demanding such a measure.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back away
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Her announcement touched off a new round of progressive candidates backing away from the Iron Dome.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
Between 2002 and 2003, the IRS flirted with building a free online filing system and then backed away, in part owing to private tax preparers that didn’t want to lose their grip on the process.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
However, many prior vocal GOP advocates for doing so have since backed away from demanding such a measure.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back away
Verb
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In September 2025, the City Council voted to explore whether Los Angeles could withdraw all legally allowable homelessness funding from LAHSA and instead contract with the county’s new homelessness department.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
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The many attending assistants around her eventually disperse — a little hesitantly because Sam is in the middle of preparing a new show — and the two withdraw to Sam’s cavernous studio.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rebel, not knowing whether the ball was caught, didn’t retreat back to first, Gilbert said.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
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Japan and South Korea stocks hit record highs overnight, before Asia-Pacific markets retreated into negative territory, following the reports of Iran tanker interceptions.—
Hugh Leask,Holly Ellyatt,Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fitzpatrick carded his lone bogey of the afternoon on the 72nd hole to fall back to 18-under and into a playoff against the American, who posted a bogey-free round of 67 on Sunday.—
Mark Harris,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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Despite the explosive growth of cheese culture in America over the last two generations, most of us fall back on predictable templates of cheese and wine.—
Anna Lee Iijima,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These threats are something Shojaei and her family know all too well — her brother Masoud, who is retired from playing, has had his assets frozen by the Iranian regime over recent weeks — while their neighbourhood was bombed by the US-Israeli offensive.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
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He was forced to retire amid his battle with MS, which affects communication between the brain and body.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If Brent crude oil futures drop back down to $65 to $70 per barrel, Conde said, prices at the pump could also lessen.—
Hali Smith
April 24,
Idaho Statesman,
24 Apr. 2026
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The rain will be widespread on Saturday as high temperatures drop back down into the 50s.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20away. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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