Synonyms

back away

Idioms

Walk backward, as in He cautiously backed away from the fire .
Gradually retreat, withdraw, as in Since he couldn't convince his colleagues, he's backing away from his original idea . Both usages employ the verb back in the sense of “retreat,” dating from the late 1400s. Also see back down ; back out .

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The glowing head backed away, came forward once more.

From Literature

I brushed off the dirt and backed away a little.

From Literature

Until it is, there remains the potential for Maguire to either strike a deal with another club - which, under freedom of contract regulations, he is entitled to do - or United back away.

From BBC

That’s largely because backing away from a buyback commitment carries much less weight than cutting or eliminating a dividend payment.

From Barron's

But the agency conducting the US immigration crackdown has backed away from some locations after public opposition.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023