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.
Your dad doesn’t walk back to meet you by the car. Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025 The group chanted, sang and screamed at a group of agents in military fatigues and masks who walked back and forth on the building’s roof. Caroline Kubzansky, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025 More Hales/Getty Images Snell walked back-to-back batters with two outs in the seventh, putting him at 107 pitches. Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025 As if Alex is just going to take Bradley walking back into UBN without a fight. Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Sep. 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 22 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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