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
The decision comes as other global insurers have backed away from underwriting maritime trade activity in the Gulf amid concerns that vessels could become collateral damage in the Iran war.
—
Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Since the drawing of that second majority-black district, the state has backed away from that map, hoping to return to a plan that provides for only one majority-minority district.
—Zoe Sobel, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
While some of the most powerful companies that once championed their diversity policies have now backed away from them and most have scrapped references to DEI, diversity advocates say many of the core policies continue today.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Town officials eventually stopped paying the fee and tribal officials threatened, but ultimately backed away, from barricading the roads again in early 2025.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
In some cases, extra vigilance means that faculty have backed away from initial commitments.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 30 Jan. 2026
The other officers have all backed away at this point.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The federal government has backed away from its plan to garnish the wages of those in default on their student loans.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Strategy — The bitcoin treasury firm gained more than 3% after MSCI backed away from its plan to remove digital asset treasury companies from MSCI Indexes.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Since the drawing of that second majority-black district, the state has backed away from that map, hoping to return to a plan that provides for only one majority-minority district.
—Zoe Sobel, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
While some of the most powerful companies that once championed their diversity policies have now backed away from them and most have scrapped references to DEI, diversity advocates say many of the core policies continue today.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Town officials eventually stopped paying the fee and tribal officials threatened, but ultimately backed away, from barricading the roads again in early 2025.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
In some cases, extra vigilance means that faculty have backed away from initial commitments.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 30 Jan. 2026
The other officers have all backed away at this point.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The federal government has backed away from its plan to garnish the wages of those in default on their student loans.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Strategy — The bitcoin treasury firm gained more than 3% after MSCI backed away from its plan to remove digital asset treasury companies from MSCI Indexes.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed away
Verb
-
His son withdrew from high school.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Following the caller's instructions, the victim withdrew cash from her bank account and deposited it via several Bitcoin ATM transactions.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On her island home in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, the shoreline has visibly retreated within her short lifetime, with beaches eroded, coastal trees uprooted and some homes now barely 3 feet from the sea at high tide.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The real horror in Frankenstein was a brilliant man who unleashed power and retreated from accountability.—
Tom Debley,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When Warren Buffett retired last year, Dan Amos became the longest-serving CEO in the Fortune 250.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In a previous estimate, the agency projected that a couple who retired just after insolvency would see a cut of $18,400 in annual benefits.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And prices dropped back around the $2 mark soon after thanks to a higher production of broilers — or chickens raised for meat — in the latter half of the year.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
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On third down, Maye dropped back to pass, felt pressure and scrambled up the middle for 16 yards.—
February 9,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Last week, Anthropic pulled out of a pending agreement with the Defense Department over stated concerns about how its technologies could be used for autonomous warfare and mass domestic surveillance.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
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However, Liu has also pulled out of the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backed away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20away. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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