back away

back away
verb
make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity (Freq. 1)
-

We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him

-

He backed out of his earlier promise

-

The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns

• Syn:
• Derivationally related forms: ↑withdrawer (for: ↑withdraw), ↑withdrawal (for: ↑withdraw)
• Verb Group:
• Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s

* * *

back away [phrasal verb]
: to move away from something or someone by walking backward

The robber pointed a gun at the policeman and told him to back away slowly.

— often + from

The policeman slowly backed away from the robber.

She backed away from the growling dog.

— often used figuratively

The government seems to be backing away from its earlier proposal.

She has backed away from her controversial position on the death penalty.

• • •
Main Entry: ↑back

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • back away — (from (something)) to stop supporting something. Congress backed away from the plan to cut taxes …   New idioms dictionary

  • back away — index retreat, shun Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • back away — phrasal verb [intransitive] Word forms back away : present tense I/you/we/they back away he/she/it backs away present participle backing away past tense backed away past participle backed away 1) to move away backwards from someone, for example… …   English dictionary

  • back away — 1) PHRASAL VERB If you back away from a commitment that you made or something that you were involved with in the past, you try to show that you are no longer committed to it or involved with it. [V P from n] The company backed away from plans to… …   English dictionary

  • back away — there s no need to back away he s a very gentle dog Syn: draw back, step back, move away, withdraw, retreat, pull back, give ground; shrink back, cower, quail, quake …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • back away — v. (D; intr.) to back away from * * * (D; intr.) to back away from …   Combinatory dictionary

  • back away from something — back away (from (something)) to stop supporting something. Congress backed away from the plan to cut taxes …   New idioms dictionary

  • back away from — back away (from (something)) to stop supporting something. Congress backed away from the plan to cut taxes …   New idioms dictionary

  • back away from — index eschew Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • back away — {v.} To act to avoid or lessen one s involvement in something; draw or turn back; retreat. * The townspeople backed away from the building plan when they found out how much it would cost …   Dictionary of American idioms

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