Gwynn deflected the axe again and backstepped rapidly, trying to get some space in which to catch a breath.—K. J. Bishop, The Etched City, 2003
2
: to modify, retreat from, or reverse a position or stand once taken : backtracksense 2
Kentucky legislators forced multi-age classes on its elementary schools in 1992 as part of an education overhaul, but backstepped last year by allowing unhappy schools to opt out.—Susan Hill Smith, Post and Courier (Charleston, South Carolina), 16 Sept. 1997
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