backing (up or away)

verb

Definition of backing (up or away)next
present participle of back (up or away)
as in running away

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing (up or away)
  1. running away
  2. walking out
  3. withdrawing
  4. retiring
  5. receding
  6. retreating
  7. pulling out
  8. clearing out
Verb
  • In video released by police, an officer exits his vehicle and points his gun at Ryan Hinton, who appears to be running away.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • One deputy tried to use a Taser on the dog, which sent the animal running away.
    — Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of running away
Verb
  • With clients walking out and a competitor putting the agency’s standing at risk, the siblings scramble to save both their income and what their mother built.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The table furthest to the left (when walking out of the main dining room) is the crown jewel.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of walking out
Verb
  • As joyful crowds took to the streets to celebrate the students' victory on Sunday, some in the crowd stoned the withdrawing police and dismantled a camp used by Vucic loyalists in a park in central Belgrade for more than a year.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Such a move could lead to investors withdrawing billions of dollars of passive investment from the country.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of withdrawing
Verb
  • The couple made the first of what would be many toasts over dinner beneath chandeliers and amid floral arrangements by Noah’s mom, Wendy, before retiring to twin beds ahead of the wedding proper.
    — Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Roth, who’s credited with modernizing the sheriff’s office, went on to serve another 18 years before retiring in 2009.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of retiring
Verb
  • Neeley said the floodwaters were receding but left mud and silt, much of which has been contaminated with sewage because of failures at waste plants.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • In the Farmington area of New Mexico, local officials said that swollen rivers were receding but that many people remained evacuated and hundreds were without power.
    — Anna Wilder, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of receding
Verb
  • Many have reacted by retreating, focusing on cultivating niche audiences.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Longtime collaborator Erik Blood foregrounds Butler’s dry drum machines in the mix, letting every other element shuffle around them, snaking toward the spotlight for a brief moment and retreating back into the brume.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of retreating
Verb
  • National groups from both parties began pulling out of the race earlier this month, signaling that both now view the contest as less competitive than previously thought.
    — Josephine Murphy, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • As good as Oliver Stone is at pulling out incredible performances from his male stars, the same isn’t always true for his leading ladies.
    — Michael Douglas, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of pulling out
Verb
  • The Royals made swift changes by reassigning hitting coach Alec Zumwalt and clearing out their entire training staff.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The turmoil from Moore’s Michigan conduct continues to linger, 10 months later, but the process of clearing out his office in Schembechler Hall went remarkably swift.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of clearing out
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

backing (up)
backing (up or away)
backland
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Cite this Entry

“Backing (up or away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20%28up%20or%20away%29. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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