as in to withdraw
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 back away
So as Jordan backed away from an early portal commitment to UCF, Trojans head coach Riley and company came from the woodwork.
—
Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 5 Jan. 2025
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify how Walmart plans to back away from its DEI efforts as well to better reflect the results of The Conference Board's survey.
—Joyce Orlando, The Tennessean, 26 Nov. 2024
The legislation would lead to a lower annual tax hike for homeowners of about 5%, leading senators and the four business groups to back away from the deal.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 11 Dec. 2024
In Wolfsburg, employees left their stations Monday morning to attend a rally where works council chief Daniela Cavallo blasted management for refusing to back away from the threat of factory closures and for not supporting cuts in dividend payments as part of the savings plan.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Europe, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for back away 
Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 5 Jan. 2025
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify how Walmart plans to back away from its DEI efforts as well to better reflect the results of The Conference Board's survey.
—Joyce Orlando, The Tennessean, 26 Nov. 2024
The legislation would lead to a lower annual tax hike for homeowners of about 5%, leading senators and the four business groups to back away from the deal.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 11 Dec. 2024
In Wolfsburg, employees left their stations Monday morning to attend a rally where works council chief Daniela Cavallo blasted management for refusing to back away from the threat of factory closures and for not supporting cuts in dividend payments as part of the savings plan.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Europe, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for back away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back away
Verb
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Moicano stepped in on weigh-in day when Makhachev’s initial opponent, Arman Tsarukyan withdrew with a back injury.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
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More than 25 players jumped into the transfer portal over his departure, which caused Marshall to withdraw from the game.—
Ryan Canfield,
Fox News,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Hims & Hers Health — Shares of the digital health-care platform retreated 3.2% on the heels of a Citi downgrade to sell from neutral.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2025
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The federal police eventually retreated without arresting the impeached president.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The price of eggs is not affected, unless the government buys up more of them than usual for whatever reason, and even then, the price eventually falls back to normal.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2025
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Peregrine eventually fell back to Earth and burned up in Earth's atmosphere.—
Brett Tingley,
Space.com,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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That was the first season after Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana retired.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
16 Jan. 2025
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After officially retiring from NASCAR in August 2023 following a concussion obtained in a Pocono crash in 2022, Busch is set to compete on March 7-8 at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Los Angeles Rams defense appeared to be content to drop back in coverage and prevent San Francisco’s Brock Purdy from completing a Hail Mary on the final play of their Thursday night game on Dec. 12.—
Joe Reedy,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2025
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In the first quarter that day, Darnold dropped back and attempted a slant to Jefferson.—
Alec Lewis,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near back away
Cite this Entry
“Back away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20away. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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