as in to back down
to break a promise or agreement
she backed out on her offer to help with the wedding planning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of back out
Ready to break that green thumb back out?
—
Nishaa Sharma, The Spruce, 4 Feb. 2026
Some buyers have also backed out of sales.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Beck also backed out of the draft to transfer to the Hurricanes.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
Eventually, our next cold front will sweep the fog back out to sea, leaving behind drier and colder air.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Houston Chronicle, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back out
Nishaa Sharma, The Spruce, 4 Feb. 2026
Some buyers have also backed out of sales.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Beck also backed out of the draft to transfer to the Hurricanes.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
Eventually, our next cold front will sweep the fog back out to sea, leaving behind drier and colder air.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Houston Chronicle, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back out
Verb
-
Crashes, luge athletes will tell you, are part of the game, a necessary teaching tool that helps young lugers learn how to navigate sliding on their back down an icy course, sometimes faster than 90 miles per hour.—
Lindsay Schnell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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This will help to push the warm air that rises toward the ceiling back down toward floor level.—
Erin Huffstetler,
The Spruce,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But a large number of job gains might make Federal Reserve policymakers back off any further interest-rate cuts this year.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Since then, the White House has been negotiating with its trading partners, backing off on some of the more aggressive charges while maintaining tough talk on issues.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday, there were 652 officers on the force, with nearly 100 cops out on some kind of administrative or medical leave.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Aug. 2025
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But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors.—
Maris Kreizman,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Verb
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For Dallas’ Black community in the late 1950s through the 1960s, the Forest Theater was the place to see and be seen, recalls Shirley Rhodes, an 80-year-old South Dallas native who spent Saturdays there during her childhood while engrossed in the cinematic offerings.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-day government shutdown that led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20out. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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