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

Surveillance video, however, shows Harris running away as Hicks shoots at him.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
Kaplan went on to say even if they aren’t severely injured, dogs can simply get scared and start running away.

— Tanya Edwards, USA Today, 17 July 2026

Definition of running away

Verb

Boyle attended the Bush Push game as a recent graduate, walking out of Notre Dame Stadium after that loss to USC thinking that the Irish were on the verge of a return to prominence.

— Pete Sampson, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Zaayer walked through the front door and shot Shawna in the face before walking out back and shooting David in the chest.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026

Definition of walking out

Verb

After intervening in 1976 under President Hafez al-Assad, Syria’s military remained in Lebanon for 29 years, finally withdrawing in 2005 under Hafez’s son and successor Bashar.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Cordes and Haake are keen and tense, their hands raised, but Hasnie has relaxed, withdrawing briefly into her thoughts.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 July 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

Donald is 35 and hasn’t played since retiring after the 2023 season.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
Cook joined the White Settlement Police Department in 2022 after retiring from the Arlington Police Department as a deputy police chief, according to the statement.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026

Definition of retiring

Verb

Crucially, the massive wave of new construction is now receding, with starts plummeting.

— Brad Hunter, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
As the spacecraft closed in, the video follows Mars steadily expanding to reveal numerous craters puncturing its surface, the ancient double-ringed Huygens crater and the south polar ice cap before receding in the spacecraft's rearview.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of receding

Verb

But Americans want to know that colleges are responding with urgency to the crisis in our public life, not retreating from it.

— Rajiv Vinnakota, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
In the second World Cup semifinal, England struck first, taking a 1-0 lead early in the second half and then retreating into a defensive shell.

— David Hickey, NBC news, 16 July 2026

Definition of retreating

Verb

But the timing of it is interesting, because that 2022 offseason has become a flashpoint in autopsies of Yzerman’s tenure, with some actually viewing it as an example of the general manager getting impatient and pulling out of the rebuild too soon.

— Max Bultman, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Kramer agreed, crediting facility partners at Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current, the University of Kansas and the $20-million Swope Soccer Village for pulling out the stops to attract the world’s best teams.

— Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

Definition of pulling out

Verb

Penny had seen ads for his company, which specializes in working with senior citizens overwhelmed by the downsizing process and the prospect of clearing out and fixing up their houses to sell.

— Marni Jameson, Arkansas Online, 24 July 2026
The National Weather Service said in its daily forecast summary for the region on Monday clouds and humidity are clearing out and ushering in above-average heat.

— Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Definition of clearing out

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backing (up)

backing (up or away)

backland

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“Backing (up or away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20%28up%20or%20away%29. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of backing (up or away)

verb

Example Sentences

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