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View synonyms for

back off

verb

  1. (intr) to retreat

  2. (tr) to abandon (an intention, objective, etc)

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Idioms and Phrases

See back down , def. 2.

Relent, abandon one's stand. For example, The chairman wanted to sell one division but later backed off . [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Now that he's backed off, the White House is back-stabbing him ruthlessly.

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“Sometimes they come back off and on for a couple months, sometimes not that long,” Steers said.

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"The driver was driving at high speed and dangerously, and police backed off due to the nature of the driving," he said.

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The idea is that the wing 'backs off' on the straight to reduce drag, before moving back into its maximum downforce-producing position for the corners.

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The president had threatened to raise tariffs on European goods last Friday, but later backed off.

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