as in withdrawing
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
backed away from the snake very slowly and carefully
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of backing away
And yet the Republican administration and its congressional allies are showing no signs of caving to Democratic demands or backing away from threats to use the opportunity to pursue deeper cuts to the federal workforce.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
Video showed the man backing away from Sanchez, who stands 6-feet-2-inches, before the former quarterback followed then ran after the man, grabbing and throwing him toward the wall of the Westin, another downtown hotel, police wrote in the affidavit.
—IndyStar, 6 Oct. 2025
The clip shows the massive American bully hesitantly backing away from a tiny, energetic puppy.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Prescott and Carter exchanged words after the opening kickoff, and Carter spit on Prescott’s jersey before backing away.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
After backing away from a controversial logo rebrand loudly opposed by many right-wing influencers, Cracker Barrel also quietly made changes to its website this week.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
That’s how desperate Maye was, rolling right and then backing away from pressure on fourth down with the clock ticking under 15 seconds on his last snap of the day.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 4 Aug. 2025
Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
Video showed the man backing away from Sanchez, who stands 6-feet-2-inches, before the former quarterback followed then ran after the man, grabbing and throwing him toward the wall of the Westin, another downtown hotel, police wrote in the affidavit.
—IndyStar, 6 Oct. 2025
The clip shows the massive American bully hesitantly backing away from a tiny, energetic puppy.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Prescott and Carter exchanged words after the opening kickoff, and Carter spit on Prescott’s jersey before backing away.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
After backing away from a controversial logo rebrand loudly opposed by many right-wing influencers, Cracker Barrel also quietly made changes to its website this week.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
That’s how desperate Maye was, rolling right and then backing away from pressure on fourth down with the clock ticking under 15 seconds on his last snap of the day.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing away
Verb
-
Although exact details have yet to be released, people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that Hamas is expected to release all 20 surviving hostages this weekend, while Israeli forces begin withdrawing from most of Gaza.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
-
That bill was the backdrop for Skrmetti withdrawing the 2021 opinion.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As the Arctic has warmed four times faster than the rest of the world, sea ice is rapidly retreating.—
Nell Lewis,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Browse books, play pool, and spin records in the Living Room before retreating to the 5,600-square-foot spa, complete with a Himalayan salt room, Finnish sauna, seasonal outdoor pool, and treatments by sustainable Italian brand Comfort Zone, among others.—
Siobhan Reid,
Vogue,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are falling back to Earth, with up to four burning up in the atmosphere each day, according to space trackers.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
-
While driving inside the 5-yard line to take the lead in the third quarter, Mahomes threw a pick-six interception to Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd, who faked a blitz before falling back into coverage.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After the attack in Doha, Qatar reportedly asked the UAE and Bahrain to close their embassies in Israel—a step that would mean pulling out of the agreement—but both countries have ignored that request.—
Monica Marks,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Within minutes of pulling out of the neighborhood, motion alerts pinged her phone.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some backups go through every tiny detail of the pre and at-snap routine, even dropping back with a ball in their hand but stopping short of throwing it.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
-
As moisture increases later this week, a cooling trend will commence with temperatures dropping back into the normal range by Friday.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The superintendent of Julian Union Elementary School District is retiring at the end of the school year after more than a decade leading the tiny rural district in San Diego County’s mountainous east.—
Sam Schulz,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The boss is retiring at the end of the school year.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backing away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20away. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share