as in backed off
to break a promise or agreement
she backed out on her offer to help with the wedding planning
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Recent Examples of backed out
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
The winning bidder for that project backed out amid conflict of interest allegations.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
Plus, the captain tells Lo that the passenger assigned to cabin 10 backed out days before departure.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
Months earlier, Charlotte attempted to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Lakers backed out after the big man reportedly failed a physical examination.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Utah prep receiver Kai Meza backed out of his commitment to the Gophers football program on Sunday.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025
The president backed out of a meeting tentatively planned for Thursday after a top Republican panned the talks.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2025
An opportunity arose in the second season, but Martin backed out, according to Vulture.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
On Thursday, in a unanimous vote, the Kansas City City Council voted to do away with the 130-foot height restriction on the parcel where a new Nordstrom department store had once been planned, before the company backed out in 2022.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Oct. 2025
The winning bidder for that project backed out amid conflict of interest allegations.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
Plus, the captain tells Lo that the passenger assigned to cabin 10 backed out days before departure.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
Months earlier, Charlotte attempted to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Lakers backed out after the big man reportedly failed a physical examination.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Utah prep receiver Kai Meza backed out of his commitment to the Gophers football program on Sunday.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025
The president backed out of a meeting tentatively planned for Thursday after a top Republican panned the talks.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2025
An opportunity arose in the second season, but Martin backed out, according to Vulture.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
On Thursday, in a unanimous vote, the Kansas City City Council voted to do away with the 130-foot height restriction on the parcel where a new Nordstrom department store had once been planned, before the company backed out in 2022.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed out
Verb
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But seeing Scherzer grow animated as Schneider approached, shortstop Andrés Giménez backed off.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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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
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 out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20out. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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