back away

Idioms

Walk backward, as in He cautiously backed away from the fire .
Gradually retreat, withdraw, as in Since he couldn't convince his colleagues, he's backing away from his original idea . Both usages employ the verb back in the sense of “retreat,” dating from the late 1400s. Also see back down ; back out .

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If one encounters a potentially dangerous snake, stop and back away, keeping a good distance from the snake.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

Expectations for the banks are higher, as regulators back away from the industry.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 12, 2026

Indexes back away slightly from records hit Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

But if you do see a bear, Nakae said to back away slowly while still facing the animal.

From Barron's • Nov. 8, 2025

Fact: The bowling ball halted right where it had started, in front of Beakman’s nose, and then turned to swing back away again.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023