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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of back off
Some of their goals from throw-ins, with oppositions backing off in anticipation and possibly fear of one of Pinnock’s long throws, have also come from quick restarts and delivering quality crosses into the box.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Instead of backing off of their support for the proposal, its Republican supporters are digging in — a sign of how intractable the fight over immigration policy is, even among Trump-supporting Republicans.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The younger man backed off and Lacaille drove away.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
Fierce bipartisan opposition prompted the administration to back off the plans.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back off
Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Instead of backing off of their support for the proposal, its Republican supporters are digging in — a sign of how intractable the fight over immigration policy is, even among Trump-supporting Republicans.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The younger man backed off and Lacaille drove away.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
Fierce bipartisan opposition prompted the administration to back off the plans.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back off
Verb
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The recent decline comes as ceasefire talks in the Iran war have calmed the bond market and pulled the 10-year Treasury yield, the main driver of mortgage rates, back down.—
Tim Maxwell,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
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One of them, a disturbed Army veteran carrying a knife, jumped the fence in 2014 and raced into the White House, making his way into the East Room before heading back down a hallway on the State Floor deep within the mansion.—
Meg Kinnard,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The board’s attorney initially said CRTPO couldn’t back out of the agreement after that deadline.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Apr. 2026
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The whale faced significant odds finding its own way back out into the North Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To say these machines are too expense is a cop out.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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Rather than throwing those bad cops out of the union and asking for better training so cops will never have to ask what to do when a fellow cop appears to have broken the law, Hendry encourages them.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20off. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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