back away

verb

Definition of back awaynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of back away During the 911 response, Massey picked up a pot of boiling water from her stove, prompting Grayson to back away, according to court testimony. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 23 Aug. 2026 If spotted by a bear, people should slowly back away and not run, which could trigger a chase response. — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 22 Aug. 2026 Hasan Piker this week again cast Hamas in a favorable light, refusing to back away from his support for the terrorist organization that has controlled Gaza, despite backlash from many Democrats. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 21 Aug. 2026 In the video, Chacon picks up the gun, and officers back away from the vehicle yelling at Chacon to put his weapon down. — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for back away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back away
  1. withdraw
  2. retreat
  3. fall back
  4. retire
  5. drop back
Verb
  • When combined with a hot blanket of the humidity the city has endured throughout the summer, players could be forced to withdraw from their matches or push through, risking injury.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Although the proposal will remain on Thursday’s agenda because of the 72-hour posting requirement, Kayatta said it will effectively be withdrawn during the meeting with authorization from Board President Tara Jeane.
    — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • The technology was also tested against deceptive behaviour, an in a different scenario, fishing boats appeared to retreat while vessels from another direction accelerated toward the coastguard ship.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The player reported that the man had opened a knife and moved toward him before retreating into his room.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreat
Verb
  • The high-pressure oppression will temporarily come to an end thanks to an influx of moisture that will help temperatures fall back to average, if not below, for the final days of August and the start of September.
    — Tevian Whitehurst, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Temperatures will remain very hot on Wednesday, but northern areas may begin seeing highs fall back into the upper 90s, while locations farther south remain in the triple digits.
    — Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fall back
Verb
  • The sellers, who are retiring, bought the retail space from The Arlington’s original developers back in 2007, Walker said.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The man who caught him, Pete Willis (De Niro), has been retired from public service for almost as long, even if there are still a few loose ends that haunt him.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of retire
Verb
  • Despite dropping back in the final kilometers, overall leader Tadej Pogačar limited his time losses by driving the main chase group across the line.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Taylor dropped back three steps and arced a jump ball into the corner over Barron and into the mitts of Sheppard, who appeared to scrape both toes along the turf before the Broncos’ stopper shoved him out of bounds.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of drop back

Browse Nearby Words

back-and-forths
back away
backbeat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Back away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20away. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All