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

On Saturday, July 4, the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department rescued a dog that had fallen into a well after running away scared from the sound of fireworks.

— Emily Harter, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026
Crews were back out on Saturday to search for a man who Elgin police said was running away with a large knife and went into the Fox River after an incident Friday morning.

— Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 27 June 2026

Definition of running away

Verb

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
Comedian Chris Rock was photographed inside a black SUV, while actor Hugh Grant and his wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein were pictured walking out.

— Gordon Ebanks, CNN Money, 3 July 2026

Definition of walking out

Verb

Serena Williams is withdrawing from Wimbledon doubles competition after injuring her knee at the tournament earlier this week.

— Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 July 2026
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee Wednesday, the labor leader behind Proposition 40 accused Newsom of failing to propose any alternative ahead of the June 25 deadline for withdrawing ballot measures.

— Ben Paviour July 2, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

The Quest reached south Georgia on January 4, 1922, and Shackleton made his final diary entry before retiring to bed.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026
Some older employees who have benefited from a booming stock market may be retiring feeling comfortable with their 401(k)s, though that doesn’t explain why the participation rate for people ages 25 to 55 has fallen.

— Rachel Barber, USA Today, 9 July 2026

Definition of retiring

Verb

Stamfordham, a military veteran with a thick drooping mustache and receding hairline, sat down at his desk in Windsor Castle on April 17 and penned a note to the War Office.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
The film slowly sheds its main characters—receding ice, a grandfather lost, and a grandmother slipping away last.

— Erika Owen, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 June 2026

Definition of receding

Verb

What’s more, despite retreating somewhat, high fuel prices continue to chomp away at motorists’ budgets.

— Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Fast-forward to this week, and CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks hit intraday all-time highs Monday, before retreating a bit Tuesday.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 7 July 2026

Definition of retreating

Verb

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
An unidentified man wearing blue basketball shorts and a Knicks hat was spotted in a video obtained by ABC News getting down on one knee, pulling out a red box and holding up a ring.

— Kelly McCarthy, ABC News, 18 June 2026

Definition of pulling out

Verb

But the acres burned by high-severity fires — when flames explode out of control with extreme temperatures, incinerating trees rather than simply clearing out dead vegetation — have increased thirtyfold.

— Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
And sometimes the physical act of clearing out resets more than just the space.

— John Speranza, Forbes.com, 1 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 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of backing (up or away)

verb

Example Sentences

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