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 administration walked back that policy before a ruling was made.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
Trump then walked back part of that announcement, giving countries a 90-day pause to renegotiate deals, that soothed some of investors' concerns.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump later walked back the tariffs by implementing a 90-day pause on most of them.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
Whatever his style, Trump’s disappointment with Powell, the disappointment of the polite and economically serious with Trump, and the overall discussion of a fight that Trump ultimately walked back revealed lots and lots of misunderstanding and myth.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk back
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Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
Trump then walked back part of that announcement, giving countries a 90-day pause to renegotiate deals, that soothed some of investors' concerns.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump later walked back the tariffs by implementing a 90-day pause on most of them.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
Whatever his style, Trump’s disappointment with Powell, the disappointment of the polite and economically serious with Trump, and the overall discussion of a fight that Trump ultimately walked back revealed lots and lots of misunderstanding and myth.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 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 12 May. 2025.
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