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
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
The nomination signals Trump is backing away from promises to eliminate FEMA, as Hamilton joins a beleaguered agency depleted by staff departures and a 75-day DHS shutdown.
—Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Los Angeles Times, 12 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
Stanford is backing away from a program designed to support teachers of color after accusations of racial discrimination led to a federal investigation announced this week.
—Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
But de La Faverie is not backing away from the human touch.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Her announcement touched off a new round of progressive candidates backing away from the Iron Dome.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
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
The nomination signals Trump is backing away from promises to eliminate FEMA, as Hamilton joins a beleaguered agency depleted by staff departures and a 75-day DHS shutdown.
—Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Los Angeles Times, 12 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
Stanford is backing away from a program designed to support teachers of color after accusations of racial discrimination led to a federal investigation announced this week.
—Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
But de La Faverie is not backing away from the human touch.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Her announcement touched off a new round of progressive candidates backing away from the Iron Dome.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing away
Verb
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Even then, there’s a penalty on withdrawing funds before five years.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
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For an account worth $200,000, for example, this could mean withdrawing a five-figure sum of money each year, depending on the age of the account holder.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Verb
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When hunger calls, head to Osteria del Sotto Sale for fresh seafood and pasta before retreating to Dimora dell'Olivastro, a tranquil guesthouse set among olive groves.—
Nicky Swallow,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
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And the country’s disconnection from the regime comes as Putin has removed himself from public life, literally retreating into a bunker.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Roth told me about growing above criticism and falling back in love with Divergent.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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The price of the international benchmark for oil, Brent crude, rose to more than $126 a barrel at one point overnight — the highest since 2022, when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine — before falling back to around $114 a barrel early Thursday.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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Netflix The 49ers split their two rivalry games with the Rams last season, with San Francisco pulling out an unlikely win Thursday night in early October with Mac Jones at quarterback.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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During the final positional session of the day, Howell, wearing Logan Wilson’s old number 55, worked on dropping back in coverage with the linebackers.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
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When opening an app, the CPU would spike to 96% before dropping back to more pedestrian 17% usage after a couple of seconds.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Verb
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After retiring from the LAPD in 1995, Fuhrman became a conservative commentator, true-crime author and television personality.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
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Primary elections in the race to replace retiring Mayor Muriel Bowser will take place on June 16.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backing away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20away. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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