as in backed out
to break a promise or agreement
you'd better not back off on your promise to do all the planning for the big dance
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Recent Examples of backed off
But seeing Scherzer grow animated as Schneider approached, shortstop Andrés Giménez backed off.
—
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Trump had earlier suggested Chicago could be the next target of a National Guard deployment but has since backed off out of concern that doing so without Pritzker’s agreement could create legal headache, sources familiar with the matter told CNN last month.
—Hanna Park, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Small and mid-sized countries that were energetically pursuing Security Council reform have backed off and are waiting for a clear signal of what—if anything—Trump will say about it.
—Richard Gowan, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
Microsoft backed off on almost all of Windows 8’s design decisions in the following years after the dramatic UI shift proved unpopular with traditional mouse-and-keyboard users, but touchscreen PCs like Microsoft’s Surface lineup have persisted even as the software has changed.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
With the memo released Friday, Levine Cava backed off several more austerity measures.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Still, Allen-Green’s group backed off and began formulating other plans without any closures.
—Mila Koumpilova, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2025
The same team saw a Russian man enter his home in Irvine but backed off after three hours parked outside.
—Elliot Spagat, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
In both cases, Tibetans immediately backed off.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Trump had earlier suggested Chicago could be the next target of a National Guard deployment but has since backed off out of concern that doing so without Pritzker’s agreement could create legal headache, sources familiar with the matter told CNN last month.
—Hanna Park, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Small and mid-sized countries that were energetically pursuing Security Council reform have backed off and are waiting for a clear signal of what—if anything—Trump will say about it.
—Richard Gowan, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
Microsoft backed off on almost all of Windows 8’s design decisions in the following years after the dramatic UI shift proved unpopular with traditional mouse-and-keyboard users, but touchscreen PCs like Microsoft’s Surface lineup have persisted even as the software has changed.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
With the memo released Friday, Levine Cava backed off several more austerity measures.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Still, Allen-Green’s group backed off and began formulating other plans without any closures.
—Mila Koumpilova, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2025
The same team saw a Russian man enter his home in Irvine but backed off after three hours parked outside.
—Elliot Spagat, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
In both cases, Tibetans immediately backed off.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed off
Verb
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Such was not the case in 2021, when UCLA backed out five hours before kickoff against North Carolina State.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Oct. 2025
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The winning bidder for that project backed out amid conflict of interest allegations.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And more than anything, more than the animosity between the programs, more than the College Football Playoff impact, more than Notre Dame puffing its chest out as USC backed down, that familiarity was the real higher power at work.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
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The administration only backed down after both Democrats and Republicans criticized the move.—
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backed off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20off. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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