BACKED (UP OR AWAY) Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

backed (up or away)

verb

past tense of back (up or away)

as in retired

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed (up or away)

Verb

The 62-year-old Guillén, a colorful analyst on White Sox telecasts, became the 13th individual and first former manager to have his number retired by the team.

— CBS News, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Always free-spirited, Nelson happily retired to his home in Maui and made only occasional visits back to the mainland.

— Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of retired

Verb

Wilson grew up in Louisiana as the son of a sharecropper and ran away from home with just an elementary education.

— Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Stefanía Arteaga, the co-executive director of Carolina Migrant Network, said she’s heard from people who hid in the forest and ran away in fear during the arrests.

— Diamy Wang, Charlotte Observer, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of ran away

Verb

Exxon shares retreated about 2% in premarket trading on Friday as it’s adjusted per-share profit narrowly missed forecasts.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
Out of possession, Benfica looked to man-mark higher up the pitch but retreated into their customary 4-2-3-1 shape as teams got forward, with the wingers moving infield as seen below.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 30 July 2026

Definition of retreated

Verb

The union also says the management company interrogated and surveilled workers during a strike in June, when employees walked out to fight for higher wages and better benefits.

— Aki Nace, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
But on Sunday morning, as the couple walked out of their rideshare outside Midway Airport, they were apprehended by federal immigration agents.

— Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of walked out

Verb

Unemployment has dropped to record lows over the past four years in Brazil, and poverty and hunger have receded.

— Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026
Their top worries are still weak demand (56 percent of respondents) and geopolitical uncertainty (46 percent), but concerns about raw material prices, energy costs, and tariffs have all receded.

— Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of receded

Verb

Mexican influencer César Gastélum was live-streaming outside a fast-food restaurant when two men on motorbike stopped next him, pulled out a gun and shot him in the head.

— Rey Rodríguez, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
On the way back, Johnson pulled out the gun and shot Pulling, the driver, in the back of the head, according to court documents.

— Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of pulled out

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backed (up)

backed (up or away)

backer

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“Backed (up or away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20%28up%20or%20away%29. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of backed (up or away)

verb

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