as in backing off
to break a promise or agreement
she backed out on her offer to help with the wedding planning
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Recent Examples of backing out
Before backing out of the driveway, check the hoses, the belts, and the tires.
—
Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
The Chargers reminded Baltimore of the Ravens backing out of their trade with the Raiders for Maxx Crosby.
—Teresa M. Walker, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2026
On the eve of the market, Deadline revealed that WME Independent is backing out of international sales with Alex Walton departing to set up a new venture.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Investigators said Horner accidentally struck the child with his delivery truck while backing out of the driveway.
—Briauna Brown, CBS News, 5 May 2026
After backing out of an agreement to trade first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 for Crosby, DeCosta was decried as dishonorable, dirty and duplicitous, especially after Baltimore signed another accomplished edge rusher, Trey Hendrickson, to a free-agent deal the following day.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The Florida and Texas metros with the highest share of stale listings are all solid buyer’s markets, where buyers have the upper hand over sellers and can negotiate lower prices as well as backing out of unfavorable deals.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Buyers are also increasingly backing out of deals, rather than settling for homes that may not be the perfect fit.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Lost my respect by backing out.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
The Chargers reminded Baltimore of the Ravens backing out of their trade with the Raiders for Maxx Crosby.
—Teresa M. Walker, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2026
On the eve of the market, Deadline revealed that WME Independent is backing out of international sales with Alex Walton departing to set up a new venture.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Investigators said Horner accidentally struck the child with his delivery truck while backing out of the driveway.
—Briauna Brown, CBS News, 5 May 2026
After backing out of an agreement to trade first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 for Crosby, DeCosta was decried as dishonorable, dirty and duplicitous, especially after Baltimore signed another accomplished edge rusher, Trey Hendrickson, to a free-agent deal the following day.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The Florida and Texas metros with the highest share of stale listings are all solid buyer’s markets, where buyers have the upper hand over sellers and can negotiate lower prices as well as backing out of unfavorable deals.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Buyers are also increasingly backing out of deals, rather than settling for homes that may not be the perfect fit.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Lost my respect by backing out.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing out
Verb
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These and other moves might suggest San Diego is backing off its years-long effort to encourage more housing development with hopes that boosting supply will help moderate sky-high prices.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 May 2026
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This began with the system changes agreed upon before the Miami Grand Prix to reduce drivers backing off to boost energy harvesting (when the car’s electrical systems recover power under braking and store it in the battery) and to reduce dangerous closing speeds between cars.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
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And today, the Cuban government is surging hundreds of thousands of people right past its front door with a clear message -- the Cuban government is not backing down.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
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When Mamdani’s predecessor Eric Adams proposed simply letting schools’ funding shrink along with enrollment, he was sued, protested against, and, eventually, bullied into backing down.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20out. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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