Synonyms of backed away

backed away

verb

past tense of back away

as in withdrew

to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)

backed away from the snake very slowly and carefully

Synonyms & Similar Words

• withdrew
• retreated
• retired
• fell back
• dropped back
• pulled out
• lost ground
• gave way
• fled
• receded
• evacuated
• gave ground
• backed down
• left
• flew
• climbed down
• pulled away
• detached
• recoiled
• departed
• shrank
• flinched
• bowed out
• chickened (out)
• abandoned
• went
• vacated
• disengaged
• quit
• backtracked
• disentangled
• backpedaled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advanced
• faced
• confronted
• dared
• bearded
• braved
• defied
• breasted
• outbraved
• brazened

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of backed away

Warnke slowly backed away, hoping the bear hadn't noticed her. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

About 10 seconds after the first officer approached, Villegas Gonzalez put his car in reverse and backed away from them. — Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

Prices for diesel, the workhorse fuel that powers trucks, tractors, trains and construction vehicles, hit all-time highs last month but has since backed away a bit. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Mamdani made a rent freeze one of his signature issues on the campaign trail, but has backed away from making many public statements about it as mayor, under the threat of legal action. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026

Some progressives, including Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez, have backed away from their earlier support of police defunding. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Sep. 2026

Family offices were able to make opportunistic plays in oil and gas in the years after the Covid pandemic as traditional investors backed away from the sector due to pressure from environmentally conscious stakeholders. — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

And the Justice Department has backed away from the federal government’s long-standing interpretation of a landmark Supreme Court ruling protecting the right of disabled people to receive services in their communities. — Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 8 Sep. 2026

Traditional fashion media may have backed away from harsh sartorial criticism, but the internet certainly hasn’t. — Derek C. Blasberg, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026