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
Despite the carnage, traders aren't backing away from this space.
—
Tyler Bailey, CNBC, 9 June 2026
Instead, officials advised making loud noises, making your body appear bigger while slowly backing away, and calling 911 immediately if a person is attacked.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
Private lenders aren’t filling the gap Direct lenders, the private credit funds that might once have stepped in, are backing away too.
—Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
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
Tyler Bailey, CNBC, 9 June 2026
Instead, officials advised making loud noises, making your body appear bigger while slowly backing away, and calling 911 immediately if a person is attacked.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
Private lenders aren’t filling the gap Direct lenders, the private credit funds that might once have stepped in, are backing away too.
—Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing away
Verb
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After battling through injury during Saturday's third round at the RBC Canadian Open, Brooks Koepka opted not to give it a go in the final round, ultimately withdrawing from the PGA Tour event on Sunday morning.—
Mark Harris,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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This is because Roth IRAs allow withdrawals of your contributions penalty-free (there are, however, stipulations for withdrawing earnings).—
Becca Stanek,
TheWeek,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Many are retreating from their DEI commitments.—
Sankar Sen,
The Conversation,
11 June 2026
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However, over three days of fighting, a Union Army force sent Confederate soldiers retreating back to the South.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Goldberg said as the audience cheered over the news, eventually falling back in her chair in shock.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
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That’s because of a myriad of actions, including countries falling back on their emergency oil reserves.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
10 June 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
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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
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Silverton has trailblazed a career through the food industry, but has no plans of retiring anytime soon.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
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In 2018, Rita Ferro succeeded the retiring Erhardt as the ESPN sales boss under a new title (president, Disney ad sales).—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backing away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20away. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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