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
Quintana said some organizations and companies backed out of sponsorships or being part of the march this year.
—
Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2025
By the time Sega backed out of the hardware race post-Dreamcast, Shinobi mostly limped on with a couple of 3D entries for PlayStation and Nintendo platforms before fading into obscurity.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Eight selective colleges signed on last spring to accept Dialogues portfolios as part of a pilot project, but two of them — Vanderbilt University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — backed out in July.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2025
Phoenix has backed out of a tentative settlement with Nubia Rodriguez, the woman wrongly charged in the 2019 traffic death of a Phoenix police officer.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 18 Aug. 2025
The company backed out in 2013, citing poor market conditions.
—Tony Schick, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, the deal fell through when a local brewery slated to occupy the space had a change of plans and backed out.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2025
Sources told the entertainment news outlet the buyer was in escrow to buy the house once before but backed out at the last minute.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2025
Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2025
By the time Sega backed out of the hardware race post-Dreamcast, Shinobi mostly limped on with a couple of 3D entries for PlayStation and Nintendo platforms before fading into obscurity.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Eight selective colleges signed on last spring to accept Dialogues portfolios as part of a pilot project, but two of them — Vanderbilt University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — backed out in July.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2025
Phoenix has backed out of a tentative settlement with Nubia Rodriguez, the woman wrongly charged in the 2019 traffic death of a Phoenix police officer.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 18 Aug. 2025
The company backed out in 2013, citing poor market conditions.
—Tony Schick, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, the deal fell through when a local brewery slated to occupy the space had a change of plans and backed out.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2025
Sources told the entertainment news outlet the buyer was in escrow to buy the house once before but backed out at the last minute.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed out
Verb
-
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
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Musk has backed off attacking the administration on X and, in some cases, appears to be fully supporting the White House.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sweeney has yet to address the drama herself, but American Eagle has not backed down.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Sep. 2025
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While the city has backed down from its request for a consultant, an audit will cost about $15,000 — money the city is not providing but the organization is willing to foot, Pinion said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20out. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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