as in to back down
to break a promise or agreement
she backed out on her offer to help with the wedding planning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of back out
Kershaw doffed his cap, crossed his arms as if to give the entire crowd a hug, embraced his teammates one by one, popped back out of the dugout and tapped his heart, and waved to his wife Ellen and family in the second deck.
—
Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
This could either result in investors backing out of purchasing the debt, or demanding higher interest payments to offset the risk.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Kelley heads back out on the road later this month and will embark on a Christmas album tour this December.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 18 Sep. 2025
After delivering its payload, JAXA engineers then sent the small vehicle back out into the void towards asteroid KY26 for a final collection mission slated to take place in 2031.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back out
Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
This could either result in investors backing out of purchasing the debt, or demanding higher interest payments to offset the risk.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Kelley heads back out on the road later this month and will embark on a Christmas album tour this December.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 18 Sep. 2025
After delivering its payload, JAXA engineers then sent the small vehicle back out into the void towards asteroid KY26 for a final collection mission slated to take place in 2031.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back out
Verb
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During the heat of summer, those grass roots are just biding their time, waiting for the temperatures to go back down.—
Charlotte Germane,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Sep. 2025
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Hungary's top diplomat told Newsweek that the only path to obtaining peace in Ukraine and ensuring Europe's security ran through a stable relationship between the United States and Russia, vowing Budapest would not back down in the face of pressure from EU and NATO allies on this front and others.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When Parsons then tried to get his agent involved before putting ink to paper, Jones backed off the deal.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Small and mid-sized countries that were energetically pursuing Security Council reform have backed off and are waiting for a clear signal of what—if anything—Trump will say about it.—
Richard Gowan,
Time,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Harris recalls her team being prepared for every scenario on election night except her defeat.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Sep. 2025
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The women were asked to recall these details weeks, months, and in some cases years after the fact, DeNicola says.—
Dominique Mosbergen,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20out. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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