as in to back down
to break a promise or agreement
you'd better not back off on your promise to do all the planning for the big dance
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Recent Examples of back off
Trump reportedly discussed firing Powell, a move which comes with shaky legal footing, but has since backed off.
—
Derek Saul, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Several of those companies, including Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz, have since backed off from those pledges after finding out their customers weren’t as keen to go electric as initially anticipated.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 May 2025
Trump quickly backed off the reciprocal plan amid a market rout and mounting criticism.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 8 May 2025
That direct encouragement accelerated an equity market rally which began as the president showed further inclination to back off of his most aggressive trade war plans and brandished a new trade deal with the U.K., the first such agreement of his second term.
—Derek Saul, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for back off
Derek Saul, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Several of those companies, including Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz, have since backed off from those pledges after finding out their customers weren’t as keen to go electric as initially anticipated.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 May 2025
Trump quickly backed off the reciprocal plan amid a market rout and mounting criticism.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 8 May 2025
That direct encouragement accelerated an equity market rally which began as the president showed further inclination to back off of his most aggressive trade war plans and brandished a new trade deal with the U.K., the first such agreement of his second term.
—Derek Saul, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for back off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back off
Verb
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Some of the students challenged the move in court, but the government later backed down in the legal fight.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
17 May 2025
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Because when these Knicks play like this — urgent, connected, relentless — there’s no opponent too skilled or seasoned to bring them back down to earth.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2025
Verb
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With seven seconds left on the clock, Haliburton took the ball the full length of the floor, crossed-over Mikal Bridges, then met Mitchell Robinson in the paint before retreating back out to the top of the key and heaving a shot from downtown.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2025
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And that could mean reaching back out to free agent reliever David Robertson, after it was reported the Phillies already contacted him about a possible reunion.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Verb
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About 20 minutes later, the two cops out in front were joined by a third officer.—
Melody Chiu,
People.com,
7 Jan. 2025
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The judges avoid giving critiques to the girls this week but do talk among one another, which is kind of weird but also means that nobody gets to cop out of Rate-a-Queen and just imitate the judges.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20off. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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