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
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
Trump backed away from sanctions, preferring low-level talks in Istanbul which went nowhere.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
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
Trump backed away from sanctions, preferring low-level talks in Istanbul which went nowhere.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed away
Verb
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The shake-up came a week after the Ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas withdrew from the coalition in protest over the failure to pass legislation exempting Haredi men from military service.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The Times/Siena poll suggested that if both Adams and Sliwa withdrew, Mamdani’s advantage over Cuomo could shrink even further.—
Philip Marcelo,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One deputy retreated while two of them fired their guns, hitting Williams and Lane, authorities said.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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Each apartment was different from the next, and the vacant unit (one daughter retreated to a Greek island) had views of the sea.—
Keith Flanagan,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By that time, Hartman had retired from the movie industry.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Sep. 2025
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But reliever Juan Mejia retired the next three hitters — a Laureano strikeout sandwiched between flyouts from Sheets and Merrill — to squash the first semblance of a rally.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Philadelphia hasn’t clinched yet, but the division is out of reach after the Mets dropped back-to-back games at Citizens Bank Park.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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Denver’s late fourth-quarter play-call was the most obvious head-scratcher of any decision against the Titans, as Nix dropped back and fired off an incomplete go-ball to Marvin Mims on a fourth-and-eight with a minute left.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jungwirth pulled out a gun, jumped over the counter and pointed the gun at the 38-year-old clerk.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
10 Sep. 2025
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Tanjiro Kamado and the other slayers are plummeting down endless stories after the ground was quite literally pulled out from under them in a cliffhanger at the end of season four.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backed away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20away. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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