as in withdrawing
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
backed away from the snake very slowly and carefully
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Recent Examples of backing away
The statement came amid reports that the DOJ was backing away from the fund.
—
Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 1 June 2026
Trump’s favorite hometown newspaper — backing away from his previous support of the filibuster.
—Thomas Beaumont, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Moreover, DeSantis isn’t backing away from his support for Bell.
—Gray Rohrer, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2026
Caulfield said, backing away from the lectern and looking to the other university leaders on stage at UCF’s arena.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 May 2026
The Guardians aren’t backing away from him in the leadoff spot.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Trump is showing no sign of backing away from any of the projects.
—Steven Sloan, Fortune, 9 May 2026
But Sanchez’s administration isn’t backing away from its call for an audit.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
But de La Faverie is not backing away from the human touch.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 1 June 2026
Trump’s favorite hometown newspaper — backing away from his previous support of the filibuster.
—Thomas Beaumont, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Moreover, DeSantis isn’t backing away from his support for Bell.
—Gray Rohrer, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2026
Caulfield said, backing away from the lectern and looking to the other university leaders on stage at UCF’s arena.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 May 2026
The Guardians aren’t backing away from him in the leadoff spot.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Trump is showing no sign of backing away from any of the projects.
—Steven Sloan, Fortune, 9 May 2026
But Sanchez’s administration isn’t backing away from its call for an audit.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
But de La Faverie is not backing away from the human touch.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing away
Verb
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There is no penalty for withdrawing funds after 65 for non-medical expenses, but the withdrawals will be taxable.—
Elliot Raphaelson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2026
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Israel’s military will continue to carry out operations in Lebanon for the time being and will not be withdrawing from the country, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday, despite the announcement of a new ceasefire.—
David Hickey,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Josh Rojas tried to sacrifice him over to third, but his bunt went straight back to Orze, who threw to second base too late to catch the retreating Tolbert.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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Similarly, retreating glaciers that form the Greenland Ice Sheet carve new valleys and reshape the physical geography, which will likely bring new challenges for the land mammals.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Chuck reveled in calling himself the mayor of the townsite, including its numerous log cabins, all in various states of falling back to the earth.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
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Lee also had a solid showing at last week’s CIF Southern Section Individual Final, quickly getting to 2 under and staying near the top of the leaderboard before falling back to even par to finish in a tie for 26th place.—
Matt Wagner,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
Verb
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When Krick and Stagg enter the command boardroom to present their opposing cases mere hours before a decision must be made, the film slips into a type of courtroom drama of stormy exchanges from the benches, with both Stagg and Krick pulling out all the stops to get their forecasts approved.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
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Unsurprisingly, given the scale and scope of the tournament, and the stage hosting in the US offers, FIFA is pulling out all the entertainment stops.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Vingegaard, in his first day in the pink jersey, alongside Jayco AlUla’s Ben O’Connor and Lidl-Trek’s home hero Giulio Ciccone led discussions with the commissaires, with the Dane dropping back to the organisers’ car with 50km (31 miles) remaining to lead discussions.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
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The descent comes by bicycle, dropping back through emerald rice terraces and village lanes as the island wakes up around you.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Adraee, who is retiring this year, takes pride in his work.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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Baby boomers are retiring at a rapid pace, and there are fewer younger workers paying into the system for every senior collecting monthly benefits.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backing away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20away. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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