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 staff ran up to the fence door before slowly backing away.
—
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Stand tall and back away slowly while facing the lion.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2025
Alldredge said the company is not backing away from its national ambitions — just thinking more intentionally about what that looks like.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
Face the lion and slowly back away leaving an escape route.
—Mitchell Willetts, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for back away
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Stand tall and back away slowly while facing the lion.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2025
Alldredge said the company is not backing away from its national ambitions — just thinking more intentionally about what that looks like.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
Face the lion and slowly back away leaving an escape route.
—Mitchell Willetts, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for back away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back away
Verb
-
Of course, the former two had retired whereas the latter had only temporarily withdrawn.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
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The traffic receded as Chicago withdrew into the distance behind me on Interstate 90.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
4 July 2025
Verb
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Groups of demonstrators retreated to nearby streets, only to cut back and regroup near the Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
24 June 2025
-
Many analysts believe Iran will retreat, reassemble its nuclear scientists and rebuild its program.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
With a 3-over 73 on his 29th birthday, the triple-bogey on No. 1 being his first since the 2024 BMW Championship, Scheffler fell back to the cluster at 7-under.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2025
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Ever since that buzzy vodka cocktail fell back into favor in 2021—and flew onto cocktail menus around the world—java is popping up all over menus in classic and unexpected ways.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Rucker played his entire nine-season NFL career with the Panthers before retiring in 2008.—
Sydney Sasser,
Charlotte Observer,
1 July 2025
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For Gen Z, that might mean skipping the $28 lunch today—and retiring with $800,000 tomorrow.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 July 2025
Verb
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However, conditions will dry out again on Sunday with humidity dropping back to 20% and winds gusting up to 25 mph in the afternoon.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
29 June 2025
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Wirtz would provide extra creativity, but with Kane often dropping back and Olise excelling in the half-spaces, there is potential for this to be a clunky fit on paper.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20away. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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