BACKING (UP OR AWAY) Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

backing (up or away)

verb

Definition of backing (up or away)

present participle of back (up or away)

as in running away

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing (up or away)

Verb

In video released by police, an officer exits his vehicle and points his gun at Ryan Hinton, who appears to be running away.

— Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
One deputy tried to use a Taser on the dog, which sent the animal running away.

— Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of running away

Verb

With clients walking out and a competitor putting the agency’s standing at risk, the siblings scramble to save both their income and what their mother built.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
The table furthest to the left (when walking out of the main dining room) is the crown jewel.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of walking out

Verb

In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
After two decades of war, the US military was withdrawing from Afghanistan, and Kabul was falling.

— Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

Both Collins and Manchin — who represented deep-red West Virginia in the Senate before leaving the Democratic Party and retiring in 2024 — have a history of clashing with their respective parties.

— Taurean Small, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Outgoing ranking members Angie Craig of Minnesota and Nydia Velázquez of New York are also behind, though retiring members and frontliners generally don’t pay dues in full.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of retiring

Verb

Neeley said the floodwaters were receding but left mud and silt, much of which has been contaminated with sewage because of failures at waste plants.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
In the Farmington area of New Mexico, local officials said that swollen rivers were receding but that many people remained evacuated and hundreds were without power.

— Anna Wilder, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of receding

Verb

Many have reacted by retreating, focusing on cultivating niche audiences.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Longtime collaborator Erik Blood foregrounds Butler’s dry drum machines in the mix, letting every other element shuffle around them, snaking toward the spotlight for a brief moment and retreating back into the brume.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of retreating

Verb

National groups from both parties began pulling out of the race earlier this month, signaling that both now view the contest as less competitive than previously thought.

— Josephine Murphy, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
As good as Oliver Stone is at pulling out incredible performances from his male stars, the same isn’t always true for his leading ladies.

— Michael Douglas, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of pulling out

Verb

The Royals made swift changes by reassigning hitting coach Alec Zumwalt and clearing out their entire training staff.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
The turmoil from Moore’s Michigan conduct continues to linger, 10 months later, but the process of clearing out his office in Schembechler Hall went remarkably swift.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of clearing out

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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backing (up)

backing (up or away)

backland

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Style

“Backing (up or away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20%28up%20or%20away%29. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of backing (up or away)

verb

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