walk back

verb

walked back; walking back; walks back

transitive verb

US
: to retreat from or distance oneself from (a previously stated opinion or position)
… try not to say anything in the primary campaign that you might need to walk back in the general election.The Progressive Populist
… has tried to walk back his suggestion about Japan, in particular, claiming in recent days that he "never said" that the Asian nation should acquire nuclear weapons.Julian Hattem

Examples of walk back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
With a 911 operator on the phone, the man walked back up front to ask the bus driver to tell them what happened. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 26 Dec. 2025 Moments later, the Palestinian man stumbles up and is seen walking back to the quad bike that rammed him. Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025 Green and Kerr once again became the center of the NBA news sphere after a heated argument during the third quarter of the Warriors’ victory over Orlando led to Green – who was ejected from the previous game against Phoenix – walking back to the locker room. Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025 Harry and William joined their father for the walk back to the Sandringham Estate after Christmas morning church service. Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for walk back

Word History

First Known Use

2000, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of walk back was in 2000

Cite this Entry

“Walk back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walk%20back. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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