backs away

verb

present tense third-person singular of back away
as in retreats
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) backed away from the snake very slowly and carefully

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 backs away It is headed straight toward another SUV, driven by a medic for CHOP security, who immediately throws it in reverse and backs away to avoid the white Jeep, which is coming at it head on. — Sydney Brownstone, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026 As the boy backs away, the family's husky mix, Bella, is seen running over from across the yard and chasing the bear away, circling behind the animal and placing itself in between the bear and the boy. — Mason Leib, ABC News, 7 July 2026 For nearly two agonizing minutes, the bear runs toward her then backs away, rearing up on its hind legs several times, revealing its massive size. — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backs away
  1. retreats
  2. withdraws
  3. drops back
  4. falls back
  5. retires
Verb
  • But even as the characters reflect at length on the virtue of putting themselves out there, their series too often retreats within itself instead.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Olivia Studio60, Womack Studios, Disney+ A celebrity TV weatherman retreats with his daughter to his estranged father’s olive groves, reopening old wounds.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of retreats
Verb
  • Investopedia made a state-by-state set of estimates for a single retiree who collects the average Social Security benefit of $1,975 a month and withdraws 4% of savings a year.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Cookies should not be set before consent, should appear the moment consent is granted, should persist across the session and should disappear when a visitor withdraws it.
    — Lesa Seibert, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of withdraws
Verb
  • Szoboszlai has much better access to Yoane Wissa in the space that opens up as Gravenberch pushes forward and Wirtz drops back to cover (no doubt after a half-time reminder about the importance of covering the space).
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of drops back
Verb
  • Without that layer, the comprehension work falls back on humans, page after page, document after document, exception after exception.
    — Alberto Gimeno, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Sometimes a player experiences a season in the sun and falls back to Earth, as Matt Kemp and Jacoby Ellsbury did in 2011.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of falls back
Verb
  • The department will also formalize its practice of informing state officials when an officer retires while disciplinary charges are still pending, in order to prevent them from being hired at another policing agency.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • SpaceX already retires aging Starlink satellites by burning them up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of retires

Browse Nearby Words

backs
backs away
backs down
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Cite this Entry

“Backs away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backs%20away. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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