pull back

verb

1. to return or be returned to a rearward position by pulling

   the army pulled back

noun

1. the act of pulling back

2. a device for restraining the motion of a mechanism, etc, or for returning it to its original position

Idioms and Phrases

Retreat, as in The troops gradually pulled back. [Mid-1500s]

Example Sentences

NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday pulled back the reins as allegations swirled about the Clippers circumventing the salary cap by orchestrating an endorsement deal for star forward Kawhi Leonard.

From Los Angeles Times

Other union leaders felt the same way, Ms McAnea said, and that any attempt to "pull back" on the bill would be a "huge mistake" that unions would "furiously" campaign against.

From BBC

Amorim knows some people want him to pull back with his outbursts.

From BBC

The sequel, “Limitless: Live Better Now,” doesn’t pull back on centralizing the star.

From Salon

“We firmly believe that they should cool it, pull back, because if they do, so will California.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• confine 
• constrain 
• control 
• curb 
• curtail 
• detain 
• deter 
• govern 
• hamper 
• hinder 
• inhibit 
• keep down 
• kill 
• limit 
• prevent 
• repress 
• restrict 
• subdue 
• suppress