walk back
verb
walked back; walking back; walks back
US
: to retreat from or distance oneself from (a previously stated opinion or position)
… try not to say anything in the primary campaign that you might need to walk back in the general election.—
The Progressive Populist
The Progressive Populist… has tried to walk back his suggestion about Japan, in particular, claiming in recent days that he "never said" that the Asian nation should acquire nuclear weapons.—Julian Hattem
Julian HattemExamples of walk back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And in September, Bisignano had to walk back comments that the agency is considering raising the retirement age to shore up Social Security.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the Panama representative walked back to the larger group as Paraguay's Romero took her place amongst the other finalists.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
To get around the tracks legally would require walking down to an intersection to cross, then walking back, adding at least 10 minutes.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Walz more recently walked back his call, saying holding one would be a waste of time without an agreement on a framework ahead of time from Republicans.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
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Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the Panama representative walked back to the larger group as Paraguay's Romero took her place amongst the other finalists.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
To get around the tracks legally would require walking down to an intersection to cross, then walking back, adding at least 10 minutes.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Walz more recently walked back his call, saying holding one would be a waste of time without an agreement on a framework ahead of time from Republicans.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
Cite this Entry
“Walk back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walk%20back. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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