back off
Britishverb
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(intr) to retreat
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(tr) to abandon (an intention, objective, etc)
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See back down , def. 2.
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Relent, abandon one's stand. For example, The chairman wanted to sell one division but later backed off . [Mid-1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen is reportedly weighing whether to back off his plan to buy eBay outright and to find a different way to work with the online auction site instead.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
He played a key role in persuading Trump during his first term to back off plans to remove U.S. troops from Syria, ruled at the time by Bashar al-Assad, who was later deposed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Once again Rutte stepped in to talk Trump down, getting him to back off with a compromise that kicked the issue down the road.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Then, his blind shot to the ninth green came back off the front of the green.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
She took another bite of her salad as she pulled the book back off my lap.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
