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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Recent Examples of back off
Just this week, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean backed off a plan to raise property taxes above 3%.
—
Idaho Statesman, 15 June 2026
Reaching a resolution The standoff continued into Friday morning, when Russian astronauts appeared to back off their plans, only to subsequently approach the PrK module with a saw and the intent to remove a load-bearing bracket.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 15 June 2026
Police repeatedly drove the wild fans off of the buses, but without enough manpower to make arrests, would then back off, retreating to the nearby intersection, each time after which the fans again swarmed the vehicles.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
Adams fell toward goalkeeper and New Jersey native Matt Turner, who was filming the moment, and landed on his left leg before turning back to continue his celebration by climbing back over the couch and then back off it again, his foot again perilously sliding through that space.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for back off
Idaho Statesman, 15 June 2026
Reaching a resolution The standoff continued into Friday morning, when Russian astronauts appeared to back off their plans, only to subsequently approach the PrK module with a saw and the intent to remove a load-bearing bracket.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 15 June 2026
Police repeatedly drove the wild fans off of the buses, but without enough manpower to make arrests, would then back off, retreating to the nearby intersection, each time after which the fans again swarmed the vehicles.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
Adams fell toward goalkeeper and New Jersey native Matt Turner, who was filming the moment, and landed on his left leg before turning back to continue his celebration by climbing back over the couch and then back off it again, his foot again perilously sliding through that space.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for back off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back off
Verb
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Unlike many Republicans in Congress, however, Carroll refused to back down.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
15 June 2026
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Brunson would not go quietly, using another flurry of points to cut the Spurs’ lead back down to six as the quarter neared the halfway point.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Verb
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The sun will poke back out in full force on Sunday, June 21, with daily highs in the upper 90s and heat index values over 100 degrees.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
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Sand moving south from a replenishment project in Surfside three years ago has pushed up into Talbert Marsh with the recent swells and high tides and is being pushed back out to the shoreline by the county, Webb added.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Strategic shakeup Usually buying and selling is a cop out, but with where the Red Sox are in their competitive cycle the approach might make some sense.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
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The case, which has only recently come to the attention of POST officials, highlights the limits of state oversight even after lawmakers passed significant police reform aimed at forcing dishonest cops out of the profession.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20off. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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