backing (up or away)

present participle of back (up or away)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing (up or away)
Verb
  • He was seen on a viral video tossing the sandwich and running away.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Jasper County Sheriff's Department Kristen Moore, director of wildlife for the Hattiesburg Zoo said the primates, native to Asia, are typically herbivores and generally prefer running away over attacking.
    Bracey Harris, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The King was seen walking out, leading a procession that included William and Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, immediately behind Charles.
    Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
  • During a pre-pageant event, pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly chastised Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch, leading to a tense back-and-forth exchange that resulted in several contestants walking out in support of Bosch.
    Allison DeGrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Ciattarelli called it an affordability crisis and has called for withdrawing from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, an agreement among Northeast states to cap their emissions.
    Ryan Mancini, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Elsewhere in the league, Virginia Tech’s Neoklis Avdalas declared for the draft last year out of Greece before withdrawing.
    Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Leaders like former American Express CEO Ken Chenault and retiring Partnership for New York City CEO, Kathryn Wylde come to mind.
    Sally Susman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Sonya Evans stays in District 4 Sonya Evans, a former Blue Valley School District parent, made the jump to district leadership in 2023 when she was tapped to replace a retiring Kaety Bowers.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • While restoring their father's (Ving Rhames) receding hairline in the underworld, the titular demon brothers (Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key) discover their dad's hair cream can bring the dead back to life.
    Emy LaCroix, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Due to the Doppler effect, the speedy gas swirling towards Earth glows blue, while the receding gas glows red.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Priest brawled with both McIntyre and Black, sending the heels retreating.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
  • With nothing but West Ham’s rapidly retreating defence in front of him, and an instant four-on-four, Guimaraes drove forward before picking out Murphy to his right, in a position to isolate left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf with a one-vs-one.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • This usually requires pulling out any hair that gets trapped between the bristles.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Georgia is either extremely fortunate or extremely tough — possibly both — to keep pulling out these close Ws.
    Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Rake It Flat After clearing out the weeds and plant debris from your beds, use a rake to smooth the soil and break up any clumps of dirt.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Nov. 2025
  • My mother passed away recently, and my brother, who lives nearby, is clearing out her house.
    Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 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 12 Nov. 2025.

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