as in to back down
to break a promise or agreement
she backed out on her offer to help with the wedding planning
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Recent Examples of back out
The driver begins to back out, then stops, halfway out of the parking spot.
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Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
Itinerary Day 3 Take advantage of your last day by venturing back out into the wilderness for one last chance to explore the area outside Teton Village.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 6 Jan. 2025
The team that lands Sasaki likely will back out of those commitments without hesitation, no matter how unseemly that practice might appear.
—Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Milk, the drink of choice for an adult about to just absolutely blow someone’s back out.
—Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for back out 
Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
Itinerary Day 3 Take advantage of your last day by venturing back out into the wilderness for one last chance to explore the area outside Teton Village.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 6 Jan. 2025
The team that lands Sasaki likely will back out of those commitments without hesitation, no matter how unseemly that practice might appear.
—Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Milk, the drink of choice for an adult about to just absolutely blow someone’s back out.
—Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for back out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back out
Verb
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Within a few hours, Yoon had backed down, but the crisis wasn’t over, with calls for his resignation and impeachment growing.Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
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All signs point toward the Eagles here but Jordan Love won't back down.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The point guard backed off to the perimeter as Jokic sized up Wembanyama and prepared to improvise.Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2025
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After major backlash this week, which coincided with the killing of another insurer’s CEO in New York City, Anthem backed off.Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2024
Verb
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About 20 minutes later, the two cops out in front were joined by a third officer.Melody Chiu, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
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The judges avoid giving critiques to the girls this week but do talk among one another, which is kind of weird but also means that nobody gets to cop out of Rate-a-Queen and just imitate the judges.Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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On Fan Duel’s flagship NBA show, Run it Back, Jordan recalled moments during the season when Jokić would request a song from their unofficial Denver Nugget’s locker room DJ, small forward Payton Watson.Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 17 Jan. 2025
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The full yellow gold execution beautifully recalled the original design language penned by Jorg Hysek in 1977.Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near back out
Cite this Entry
“Back out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20out. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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