walk back
verb
walked back; walking back; walks back
US
: to retreat from or distance oneself from (a previously stated opinion or position)
… try not to say anything in the primary campaign that you might need to walk back in the general election.—
The Progressive Populist
The Progressive Populist… has tried to walk back his suggestion about Japan, in particular, claiming in recent days that he "never said" that the Asian nation should acquire nuclear weapons.—Julian Hattem
Julian HattemExamples of walk back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The White House Correspondents' Association is walking back plans to feature comedian Amber Ruffin at its 2025 dinner after criticism from the Trump administration.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2025
Elon Musk is walking back part of his legally questionable plan to pay conservative voters.
—Theodore Schleifer, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
As that deadline loomed Thursday, Duffy walked back the deadline by tweet, saying New York now had 30 more days to comply — and threatening to take away federal funding if Hochul didn’t turn the cameras off.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025
While some agencies maintain that their staff needs to be slashed by a significant percentage, others have walked back firings of probationary employees, causing confusion among federal workers in various departments.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
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Jay Stahl, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2025
Elon Musk is walking back part of his legally questionable plan to pay conservative voters.
—Theodore Schleifer, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
As that deadline loomed Thursday, Duffy walked back the deadline by tweet, saying New York now had 30 more days to comply — and threatening to take away federal funding if Hochul didn’t turn the cameras off.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025
While some agencies maintain that their staff needs to be slashed by a significant percentage, others have walked back firings of probationary employees, causing confusion among federal workers in various departments.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
Cite this Entry
“Walk back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walk%20back. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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