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
Lindsey backed away onto a median and Milligan followed him.
—
Caroline Zimmerman
may 28, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
Raman has since backed away from the ban.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
But while returning from China aboard Air Force One on Friday, the President backed away from that, while also criticizing Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, without mentioning the State Representative by name.
—May 17, CBS News, 17 May 2026
But there are clear signs that Miller has not backed away from his own views on immigration—including on H-2B visas.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
After several hours of station-keeping, Gemini 6—commanded by Wally Schirra, alongside rookie astronaut Tom Stafford—backed away, and began easing down to a lower orbit, preparing to reenter.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 May 2026
Local governments across Florida have received letters from the state Department of Commerce declaring their comprehensive plan amendments since August 2024 to be null and void, have been sued or have backed away from planning changes to avoid legal peril.
—Haley Busch, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
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
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
Caroline Zimmerman
may 28, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
Raman has since backed away from the ban.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
But while returning from China aboard Air Force One on Friday, the President backed away from that, while also criticizing Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, without mentioning the State Representative by name.
—May 17, CBS News, 17 May 2026
But there are clear signs that Miller has not backed away from his own views on immigration—including on H-2B visas.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
After several hours of station-keeping, Gemini 6—commanded by Wally Schirra, alongside rookie astronaut Tom Stafford—backed away, and began easing down to a lower orbit, preparing to reenter.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 May 2026
Local governments across Florida have received letters from the state Department of Commerce declaring their comprehensive plan amendments since August 2024 to be null and void, have been sued or have backed away from planning changes to avoid legal peril.
—Haley Busch, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed away
Verb
-
Less than a week later, the UA withdrew the offer.—
Ryan Anderson,
Arkansas Online,
29 May 2026
-
Historians say the original Liberty Pole was erected as British forces withdrew from New York following their defeat in the Revolutionary War, a symbolic act meant to assert American independence and taunt departing troops.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
While India’s media landscape has largely retreated in the face of the Hindu right’s fascism, Kandasamy is one of the few consistently at the barricades.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
-
Travel stocks — Shares of airlines and cruise operators rose as oil prices retreated on Wednesday.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Kirtley, who retired this week, is the fourth winner of the John Borger award, which was named after the First Amendment attorney who died in 2019.—
Mars King,
Twin Cities,
28 May 2026
-
Minnesota's Byron Buxton homered to lead off the game, but the 25-year-old Sandlin retired 18 consecutive batters — the first White Sox pitcher to retire 18 in a row in his debut since 1920.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The odds of the Clarity Act being passed this year have dropped back from almost 70% on the Polymarket prediction platform, falling to just over 50%.—
Billy Bambrough,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Wilson told the outlet that Junie knows her way home, adding that the cat could be dropped back off at the family's property.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Some sponsors have pulled out of the celebrations Last year, some big corporations stopped contributing to Pride events.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
Calvin Buergey pulled out a $100 bill to buy a bottle of Coke.—
Shannon Pettypiece,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backed away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20away. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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