as in retreats
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 backs away
The team does an organized shuffle to get things in order, and almost everyone watching with me backs away slightly.
—
Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Jones then slows down to a walk as Prignano backs away.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 3 Mar. 2026
In instances when an agent approaches, a patroller typically backs away while recording the interaction, video footage posted to Union del Barrio’s YouTube page shows.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The officer in the black beanie backs away with his gun drawn, though pointed down.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Videos show an officer, who is hovering over the scuffle with his right hand on Pretti’s back, backs away from the group with what appears to be a gun in his right hand just before the first shot.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026
Those detours foreshadowed Paris, where the styling again backs away from surface-level pink and redistributes it to the interior.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 8 Nov. 2025
Willow begins to whimper, and backs away from the door—but sits promptly down, still staring at it.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Finally, the board will have the good sense to just snap their host laptop shut, but not before a wickedly riotous 10 minutes or so in which absolutely no one backs away from the keyboard.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Jones then slows down to a walk as Prignano backs away.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 3 Mar. 2026
In instances when an agent approaches, a patroller typically backs away while recording the interaction, video footage posted to Union del Barrio’s YouTube page shows.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The officer in the black beanie backs away with his gun drawn, though pointed down.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Videos show an officer, who is hovering over the scuffle with his right hand on Pretti’s back, backs away from the group with what appears to be a gun in his right hand just before the first shot.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026
Those detours foreshadowed Paris, where the styling again backs away from surface-level pink and redistributes it to the interior.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 8 Nov. 2025
Willow begins to whimper, and backs away from the door—but sits promptly down, still staring at it.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Finally, the board will have the good sense to just snap their host laptop shut, but not before a wickedly riotous 10 minutes or so in which absolutely no one backs away from the keyboard.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backs away
Verb
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Her 50-something protagonist, Alan Anderson, and his socially striving wife Vivian, are at least about to start thinking about where their family is going to go, once Alan retreats to a backyard playhouse.—
Bethanne Patrick,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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So, when legal education retreats from explicit commitments to access and representation, the consequences aren't limited to law schools.—
Janice Gassam Asare,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Hezbollah has vowed to fight until the war ends in Lebanon and Israel withdraws its troops that operate across large swaths of the country’s south.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
-
Hezbollah has vowed to fight until the war ends in Lebanon and Israel withdraws its troops who operate across large swaths of the country’s south.—
Nick Duffy,
NBC news,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
After the front, the humidity drops back off the scale, meaning that Thursday and Friday will be very comfy and dry.—
Terry Eliasen,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
If the opposing quarterback drops back to pass, Downs can be effective, as well.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Indeed, no matter the city problem, Johnson seemingly falls back on claims of a lack of state financial support.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
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The result is a fashion movie that takes the art at its center for granted, a work of radical narrative freedom which falls back on last season’s tropes.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Leatherman retires the winning beach each year and adds it to a hall of fame, ensuring that new beaches have a chance to claim the top spot.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
Superintendent Anthony McConnell — thanked him for preparing them for the job McConnel has and the one Schroeder will assume when Lubelfeld retires June 30.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backs away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backs%20away. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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