as in withdrew
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 backed away
Spotify has long backed away from wanting to fully own and operate its own shows, finding more value in serving as a tech, monetization, and distribution platform for podcasters.
—
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
McIlroy backed away, drawing jeers, before Lowry came over to settle him.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Benson, however, remained hesitant and eventually fully backed away.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
The request comes after the Sacramento Zoological Society in April backed away from an agreement to relocate the zoo to Elk Grove.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, the committee backed away from its most controversial proposal that called for states to require those who want a COVID-19 vaccine to get a prescription.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
But some have since backed away, discouraged by long product development cycles and inflated early valuations.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Potter was an offensive tackle for Boise State from 2007 to 2011, under head coach Chris Petersen and mainly for OC Bryan Harsin, who never backed away from being tricky.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 Sep. 2025
And Bahrain and the UAE – the two Gulf Arab states with diplomatic relations with Israel – have not backed away from their official relationship.
—David Mednicoff, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
McIlroy backed away, drawing jeers, before Lowry came over to settle him.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Benson, however, remained hesitant and eventually fully backed away.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
The request comes after the Sacramento Zoological Society in April backed away from an agreement to relocate the zoo to Elk Grove.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, the committee backed away from its most controversial proposal that called for states to require those who want a COVID-19 vaccine to get a prescription.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
But some have since backed away, discouraged by long product development cycles and inflated early valuations.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Potter was an offensive tackle for Boise State from 2007 to 2011, under head coach Chris Petersen and mainly for OC Bryan Harsin, who never backed away from being tricky.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 Sep. 2025
And Bahrain and the UAE – the two Gulf Arab states with diplomatic relations with Israel – have not backed away from their official relationship.
—David Mednicoff, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed away
Verb
-
The South American country withdrew visa-free access in April in response to the three countries barring Brazilian passport holders from visa-free access.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The South African played this weekend in the PGA Tour's Bank of Utah Championship, but withdrew after the first round.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At one point in the third quarter, Daniels scrambled against a blitz, stopped to throw, then retreated again 14 yards behind the line of scrimmage and completed a pass while getting crushed to the ground.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Oct. 2025
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Yet, when countered with decisiveness, Putin has retreated.—
Kathleen Collins,
Twin Cities,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gausman had retired 17 straight Dodger batters until the seventh inning, when Smith yet again got the best of him, hitting a solo home run to break the stale mate.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Panera eventually retired the item, though not immediately (a legal expert posited to CNN that doing so promptly would have read as an admission of guilt, and in turn spur reputational damage).—
Li Goldstein,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Daniels took the snap out of the pistol formation and dropped back to pass in the third quarter.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025
-
McNeill dropped back and scrambled for a few seconds before finding Kash Kelly in the end zone for a touchdown.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The 18-year-old broke free, fled on foot and allegedly pulled out a semi-automatic hand gun, which Bettison said was recovered by police.—
Andrea May Sahouri,
Freep.com,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Earlier this year, the mayor's office pulled out of advocacy for modernizing the state's energy standards after months of meetings and engagement on the issue, The Courier Journal previously reported based on email records and interviews.—
Connor Giffin,
Louisville Courier Journal,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backed away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20away. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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