as in withdrew
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 backed away
Firefighters arrived several minutes after the blaze began, but backed away after a few protesters blocked their truck from reaching the loading dock.
—
Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
In some cases, extra vigilance means that faculty have backed away from initial commitments.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 30 Jan. 2026
The other officers have all backed away at this point.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The federal government has backed away from its plan to garnish the wages of those in default on their student loans.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Strategy — The bitcoin treasury firm gained more than 3% after MSCI backed away from its plan to remove digital asset treasury companies from MSCI Indexes.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
Spotify has long backed away from wanting to fully own and operate its own shows, finding more value in serving as a tech, monetization, and distribution platform for podcasters.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
McIlroy backed away, drawing jeers, before Lowry came over to settle him.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Benson, however, remained hesitant and eventually fully backed away.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
In some cases, extra vigilance means that faculty have backed away from initial commitments.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 30 Jan. 2026
The other officers have all backed away at this point.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The federal government has backed away from its plan to garnish the wages of those in default on their student loans.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Strategy — The bitcoin treasury firm gained more than 3% after MSCI backed away from its plan to remove digital asset treasury companies from MSCI Indexes.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
Spotify has long backed away from wanting to fully own and operate its own shows, finding more value in serving as a tech, monetization, and distribution platform for podcasters.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
McIlroy backed away, drawing jeers, before Lowry came over to settle him.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Benson, however, remained hesitant and eventually fully backed away.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed away
Verb
-
But according to the university, the program will not move forward as scheduled, after Weiss’ team withdrew from the event.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Focusing on Mental Health Everything changed when a 24-year-old Simone Biles withdrew from the finals during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, mentioning her mental health struggles.—
Kristy Alpert,
Outside,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Its stock fell nearly 6%, while shares of other asset managers, such as Blackstone and Apollo Global Management, retreated as well.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The freeskiers, placed on the back end of the Olympic schedule, retreated to Laax, Switzerland, for a week of training.—
Eddie Pells,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Although we are retired, our lives revolve around her needs.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But Liu, who retired from the sport and then came back on her own terms, doesn’t care about a win.—
Alex Connor,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
On third down, Maye dropped back to pass, felt pressure and scrambled up the middle for 16 yards.—
February 9,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Late in the third quarter, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye dropped back to pass, looking for answers.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At which time someone in a Manhattan athletics department office pulled out their magnifying class and Tang’s contract, finding a way to get rid of the coach and not pay him.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The administration has quietly pulled out National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, The Washington Post reported.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backed away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20away. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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