backing (up or away)

present participle of back (up or away)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing (up or away)
Verb
  • Pope stabbed himself in the neck before running away, Ghannam said.
    Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 25 Sep. 2025
  • When match officials placed a more-than-three-foot-tall trophy in the middle of the ring, Ali grabbed it and feigned running away with it.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • To avoid this – and any costly repairs or replacements–be sure they are unplugged before walking out the door.
    Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2025
  • And finally… There Moses Simon and Wilfred Ndidi were, quietly minding their own business and walking out for a World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Nigeria, when the tunnel in Bloemfontein’s Toyota Stadium inexplicably turned into an ice rink.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Pederson had been withdrawing money from the Ronald McDonald House checking account and depositing it into her personal PayPal account, according to the criminal complaint.
    Karen Madden, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Despite international aid groups withdrawing from Afghanistan due to the Taliban’s oppressive regime and its persecution of women and girls, the Reynolds chose to remain.
    Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • However, the fact of the matter is that the future Hall of Fame quarterback will likely be retiring following the 2025 campaign.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Suzan Fete, Renaissance Theaterworks' longtime artistic director and the final cofounder still with the company, is retiring at the end of this theater season.
    Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That building, at 505 State Street — the city’s first all-electric skyscraper — consists of a set of receding pie slices elegantly trimmed in bronze.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Other big names in American lexicography were already receding.
    Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The future will not be secured by tolerating lies or retreating into despair.
    Carolyn McKinney, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Along with many other major insurers, State Farm has been retreating from the California market for several years.
    Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • After the attack in Doha, Qatar reportedly asked the UAE and Bahrain to close their embassies in Israel—a step that would mean pulling out of the agreement—but both countries have ignored that request.
    Monica Marks, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Within minutes of pulling out of the neighborhood, motion alerts pinged her phone.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As summer ends, Amazon is clearing out its inventory with massive outdoor deals in the Overstock Outlet.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The Jonas Brothers musician, 36, had a cheeky response after a fan appeared to catch him on video clearing out his nose during a break from the stage at a recent concert.
    Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Backing (up or away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20%28up%20or%20away%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

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