as in withdrawing
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
backed away from the snake very slowly and carefully
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of backing away
The clip shows the massive American bully hesitantly backing away from a tiny, energetic puppy.
—
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Prescott and Carter exchanged words after the opening kickoff, and Carter spit on Prescott’s jersey before backing away.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
After backing away from a controversial logo rebrand loudly opposed by many right-wing influencers, Cracker Barrel also quietly made changes to its website this week.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
That’s how desperate Maye was, rolling right and then backing away from pressure on fourth down with the clock ticking under 15 seconds on his last snap of the day.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 4 Aug. 2025
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Prescott and Carter exchanged words after the opening kickoff, and Carter spit on Prescott’s jersey before backing away.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
After backing away from a controversial logo rebrand loudly opposed by many right-wing influencers, Cracker Barrel also quietly made changes to its website this week.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
That’s how desperate Maye was, rolling right and then backing away from pressure on fourth down with the clock ticking under 15 seconds on his last snap of the day.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing away
Verb
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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
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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
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The future will not be secured by tolerating lies or retreating into despair.—
Carolyn McKinney,
Boston Herald,
22 Sep. 2025
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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
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Baby Steps doesn't go quite that hard, giving players occasional major checkpoints and large, flat plains that prevent you from falling back too far.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
23 Sep. 2025
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On the second interception, Simmons said Delaware bluffed as if an all-out blitz was coming before falling back into coverage and making the pick.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Within minutes of pulling out of the neighborhood, motion alerts pinged her phone.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some backups go through every tiny detail of the pre and at-snap routine, even dropping back with a ball in their hand but stopping short of throwing it.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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As moisture increases later this week, a cooling trend will commence with temperatures dropping back into the normal range by Friday.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Backing away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20away. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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