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
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
The request comes after the Sacramento Zoological Society in April backed away from an agreement to relocate the zoo to Elk Grove.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, the committee backed away from its most controversial proposal that called for states to require those who want a COVID-19 vaccine to get a prescription.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
But some have since backed away, discouraged by long product development cycles and inflated early valuations.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Potter was an offensive tackle for Boise State from 2007 to 2011, under head coach Chris Petersen and mainly for OC Bryan Harsin, who never backed away from being tricky.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 Sep. 2025
And Bahrain and the UAE – the two Gulf Arab states with diplomatic relations with Israel – have not backed away from their official relationship.
—David Mednicoff, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Once Kefalos backed away, her dog put herself under the bed and started running around again.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Benson, however, remained hesitant and eventually fully backed away.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
The request comes after the Sacramento Zoological Society in April backed away from an agreement to relocate the zoo to Elk Grove.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, the committee backed away from its most controversial proposal that called for states to require those who want a COVID-19 vaccine to get a prescription.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
But some have since backed away, discouraged by long product development cycles and inflated early valuations.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Potter was an offensive tackle for Boise State from 2007 to 2011, under head coach Chris Petersen and mainly for OC Bryan Harsin, who never backed away from being tricky.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 Sep. 2025
And Bahrain and the UAE – the two Gulf Arab states with diplomatic relations with Israel – have not backed away from their official relationship.
—David Mednicoff, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Once Kefalos backed away, her dog put herself under the bed and started running around again.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed away
Verb
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In January, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger also withdrew from West African regional bloc Ecowas, having earlier formed their own Alliance of Sahel States grouping.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Trump withdrew from the council during his first term, but former President Joe Biden signed the United States back on after his 2020 victory.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While early Labuschagne drove beautifully through the covers and whipped the ball firmly through midwicket, the more recent iteration seemed to have retreated, his mindset becoming defensive.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Soria has retreated from Nepal’s Dhaulagiri a staggering 14 times.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Veteran journalist Deborah Norville — who retired from Inside Edition in May after serving as the anchor of the news magazine for 30 years — will also be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
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The legendary Nick Saban retired from coaching following the conclusion of the 2023 season, handing the keys to the Alabama Crimson Tide program to Kalen DeBoer after leading the team to six national championships during his tenure.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tyquan Thornton dropped back to fourth on the depth chart with Xavier Worthy’s return, but Thornton still led Kansas City in receiving yards (90) and should continue to have a role in the offense moving forward.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Oct. 2025
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Applications to refinance a home loan, which rose sharply in mid-September and then dropped back again two weeks ago, fell further last week, down 8%.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lamarr said Wilks then pulled out a firearm and struck the off-duty officer with it, an act also captured on camera.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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In do-or-die Game 5, Milwaukee pulled out the victory at home.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backed away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20away. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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