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
Jones then slows down to a walk and continues to advance toward Prignano, who backs away as police call for Jones multiple more times to drop the blade.
—
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 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
At first, the bison ignores him, but eventually approaches the man, who quickly backs away to keep a safe distance.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 July 2025
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 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
At first, the bison ignores him, but eventually approaches the man, who quickly backs away to keep a safe distance.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backs away
Verb
-
From its vantage point on the west coast of America, the observatory will be perfectly positioned to provide coverage throughout the eclipse, running from the penumbral phase through totality and beyond, as Earth's shadow retreats from the lunar disk.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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Takemikazuchi, the god of thunder, prevails by crushing the arm of Takeminakata, a rival god, who retreats to Lake Suwa and vows never to leave.—
Joshua Hunt,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If the Pentagon withdraws support, the Scouts would have to scramble to replace medical care, transportation and other emergency services.—
Graham Smith,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Antonio Delgado withdraws from New York governor race after Mamdani backs Hochul.—
,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on November 16, 2025.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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The pump should turn off after the water level drops back down.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the process of watering the seed in, some of the loose soil dredged up by the disks falls back into the slits, covering the seed.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The top-three picks have been determined, and the task falls back to the readers to decide which will take the title in each of 50 categories, from burgers and wings to driveworthy things.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In Quinn’s books, Lady Whistledown’s society papers make way for correspondence between Bridgerton siblings at the beginning of each chapter because Penelope retires after the fourth book.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
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And in a twist that resets the entire social fabric of the ton, Season 4 ends with a new mystery author taking over the Lady Whistledown column after Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) retires.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backs away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backs%20away. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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