as in backing out
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 backing off
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
That scream likely scared off the man who showed no signs of backing off.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Tensions came to a head when Carrie confronted her for backing off.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
Malik’s boss is not happy that Malik doesn’t have a grip on the Crane brothers, though Malik assures him that Amos frightened Sarah into backing off — and that Dinah is tucked away at a safe house.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Benioff clarified his National Guard comments in subsequent days leading up to Dreamforce, without backing off his long-running concerns over public safety.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
And yet governments and corporations are now backing off on previous climate goals, and the planet's annual greenhouse gas emissions continue to climb.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
But Pages did not pursue it to the wall, backing off to play the ball on a bounce.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025
Hendrickson had previously asked to be traded during the offseason before backing off, and now the team is reportedly open to trade offers for him.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
That scream likely scared off the man who showed no signs of backing off.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Tensions came to a head when Carrie confronted her for backing off.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
Malik’s boss is not happy that Malik doesn’t have a grip on the Crane brothers, though Malik assures him that Amos frightened Sarah into backing off — and that Dinah is tucked away at a safe house.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Benioff clarified his National Guard comments in subsequent days leading up to Dreamforce, without backing off his long-running concerns over public safety.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
And yet governments and corporations are now backing off on previous climate goals, and the planet's annual greenhouse gas emissions continue to climb.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
But Pages did not pursue it to the wall, backing off to play the ball on a bounce.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025
Hendrickson had previously asked to be traded during the offseason before backing off, and now the team is reportedly open to trade offers for him.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing off
Verb
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Lost my respect by backing out.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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In America, a property owner backing out of a location agreement can lead to legal action and is rare.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But some fashion firms also don’t plan on backing down from their diversity efforts.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
5 Feb. 2026
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White House border policy advisor Tom Homan said Thursday during a press conference that street operations in Minneapolis would wind down if agents were allowed into local jails instead and asserted the federal government was not backing down on its aggressive immigration agenda.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backing off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20off. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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