as in backed off
to break a promise or agreement
she backed out on her offer to help with the wedding planning
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Recent Examples of backed out
The Raiders-Ravens deal for Maxx Crosby was the rare blockbuster that somehow became a boomerang after Baltimore backed out with medical concerns.
—
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Zohran Mamdani has reportedly backed out of a CBS Sunday Morning interview thanks to Bari Weiss’s Twitter.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
But Viacom backed out of the deal.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
In the late 1990s, SoftBank almost bought a 30% stake in Amazon for $100 million but backed out as Jeff Bezos believed his company was worth 16% more than Son’s valuation.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
At the Round Table, Lipinski backed out of voting for Rausch, and players' attitudes then shifted to voting off Anderson.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Feb. 2026
The night began with boisterous boos during the pregame introduction of a player who backed out on a deal to return to the Bears for his sophomore season.
—Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026
In Oklahoma City, after several protests and a packed city council meeting, a company that had planned to sell its warehouse to ICE backed out of the deal – a move cheered by Republican Mayor David Holt.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Beck also backed out of the draft to transfer to the Hurricanes.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Zohran Mamdani has reportedly backed out of a CBS Sunday Morning interview thanks to Bari Weiss’s Twitter.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
But Viacom backed out of the deal.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
In the late 1990s, SoftBank almost bought a 30% stake in Amazon for $100 million but backed out as Jeff Bezos believed his company was worth 16% more than Son’s valuation.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
At the Round Table, Lipinski backed out of voting for Rausch, and players' attitudes then shifted to voting off Anderson.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Feb. 2026
The night began with boisterous boos during the pregame introduction of a player who backed out on a deal to return to the Bears for his sophomore season.
—Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026
In Oklahoma City, after several protests and a packed city council meeting, a company that had planned to sell its warehouse to ICE backed out of the deal – a move cheered by Republican Mayor David Holt.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Beck also backed out of the draft to transfer to the Hurricanes.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed out
Verb
-
According to Stutzman, the WGSU has not backed off several demands, including the right to strike during the term of the agreement and a contract term that aligns with the MBA bargaining cycle.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The administration backed off its most extreme plans.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Getting backed down by Dončić was only one piece of an embarrassing bloodbath for the Bulls that highlighted every facet of this team’s defensive deficiencies.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Apple never backed down and the FBI found a way to unlock the phone anyway, using bugs that already existed in Apple’s code, effectively providing the back door that law enforcement sought in the first place.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20out. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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