back out

verb

backed out; backing out; backs out

intransitive verb

: to withdraw especially from a commitment or contest

Synonyms

• back down
• back off
• cop out
• fink out
• renege

Examples of back out in a Sentence

she backed out on her offer to help with the wedding planning

Recent Examples on the Web

This was a month for big festivals, with two weekends of Coachella and one of Stagecoach all back to back out in Indio, Calif., and of just-as-big tour kickoffs, with both our Greatest Pop Star of 2024 and our Greatest Pop Star of the entire 21st Century launching their most recent treks. —Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 1 May 2025

The Mets backed out due to concern over a hip issue with Gomez. —Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

The next inning, Kelenic trotted right back out to right field as if nothing had happened. —Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025

While cancellation options are available in advance of the other three periods—broadly speaking, advertisers may back out of between 25% and 50% of their Q1, Q2 and Q3 upfront allocations—the ontological status of fall buys is a lot less equivocal. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for back out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout