step back

phrasal verb

stepped back; stepping back; steps back

: to stop doing something or being actively involved in something for a time so in order to think about it and make decisions in a calm and reasonable way

You need to step back and give yourself some time to work through this.

Examples of step back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ford said that a conciliatory call from Howard Lutnick, Trump’s commerce secretary, and the promise of an in-person meeting had convinced him to take a step back. —Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025

Before automating, take a step back to simplify and eliminate unnecessary complexity. —Mark Johnson, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

Of course, one person could just step back on a two-person team and let the other do it all, but would the teams think to do that? —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025

At a time when competitors like Alphabet Inc.’s Google Pixel phones have actually taken a step back in battery life, the 16e crunches through YouTube sessions, games, workout runs and Zoom calls without causing the smartphone equivalent of range anxiety. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for step back

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback