BACKING AWAY Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

backing away

verb

present participle of back away

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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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 Even as beef prices continue to hit record highs, Burger King is not backing away from burgers. — Hallie Jackson, NBC news, 20 July 2026 According to the report, Sheets' girlfriend pleaded with him while backing away and heard one gunshot. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 8 July 2026 As the officers ask Marseille to put the dog away, bodycam video shows the second officer unholstering his gun and backing away from the barking dog. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 With sunbeams gleaming downward, reflecting off of the spacecraft's hull, the Dragon can be seen backing away from the station mere moments after undocking from the port on the station's Harmony module. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 23 June 2026 Big Oil is not backing away from renewables because the energy transition has stopped. — Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026 Body-camera video shows an officer backing away. — City News Service, Daily News, 20 June 2026 So far, however, Manhattan’s wealthiest buyers don’t appear to be backing away. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 17 June 2026 Six years later, several governments are backing away from their commitments. — Andres Clarens, The Conversation, 17 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing away

Verb

After intervening in 1976 under President Hafez al-Assad, Syria’s military remained in Lebanon for 29 years, finally withdrawing in 2005 under Hafez’s son and successor Bashar.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Cordes and Haake are keen and tense, their hands raised, but Hasnie has relaxed, withdrawing briefly into her thoughts.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 July 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

But Americans want to know that colleges are responding with urgency to the crisis in our public life, not retreating from it.

— Rajiv Vinnakota, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
In the second World Cup semifinal, England struck first, taking a 1-0 lead early in the second half and then retreating into a defensive shell.

— David Hickey, NBC news, 16 July 2026

Definition of retreating

Verb

That was his life for more than a decade — sometimes in work or a relationship but always falling back to addiction.

— Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Arizona, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico are among the states and territories that don't follow this pattern of sprining forward and falling back.

— Finch Walker, USA Today, 15 July 2026

Definition of falling back

Verb

But the timing of it is interesting, because that 2022 offseason has become a flashpoint in autopsies of Yzerman’s tenure, with some actually viewing it as an example of the general manager getting impatient and pulling out of the rebuild too soon.

— Max Bultman, New York Times, 17 July 2026
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

Definition of pulling out

Verb

Del Toro looked in trouble approaching the summit of the Col du Galibier, the race’s highest point, urgently speaking into his radio and dropping back.

— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026
With both blockades fueling fears over global energy supplies, the price of international benchmark Brent crude oil jumped above the $100 a barrel threshold Thursday for the first time since May before dropping back down.

— Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 24 July 2026

Definition of dropping back

Verb

Donald is 35 and hasn’t played since retiring after the 2023 season.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
Cook joined the White Settlement Police Department in 2022 after retiring from the Arlington Police Department as a deputy police chief, according to the statement.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026

Definition of retiring

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backing

backing away

backing down

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“Backing away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20away. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of backing away

verb

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