as in hesitating
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
she hung back in offering her opinion about her daughter's career choices because it wasn't her business
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Recent Examples of hanging back
After Fester fried the hospital's power grid, allowing the LOIS patients to escape and begin attacking Judi, Wednesday noticed that one female patient was hanging back.
—
Megan McCluskey, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Megan McCluskey, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging back
Verb
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Because life—even for us jaded adults—should be for the seizing, not for hesitating in the face of fear.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
9 Oct. 2025
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Meyers acted his dang butt off in this sketch, and the audience paid him back with unsure and hesitating titters — not crickets, but not enthusiasm either.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After faltering in the semifinals of the 2024 WNBA playoffs, Wilson and the Aces capped off a dominant postseason run Friday by sweeping the Phoenix Mercury with a 97-86 win.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
11 Oct. 2025
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History will probably remember this Ravens team for faltering because of injuries, namely to their starting quarterback.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hanging back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20back. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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