back out
Britishverb
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Move or retreat backwards without turning; same as back away , def. 1.
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Also, back out of something . Withdraw from a situation, or break an agreement or engagement. For example, After the announcement appeared in the papers, Mary found it doubly difficult to back out of her engagement to Todd . [Early 1800s] Also see go back on .
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.
Since summer is almost here, you might face some annoyance or pushback from your friends for waiting this long to back out.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
Then I threw my back out lifting a 50-pound bag of Quikrete, I nearly fell off the ladder pruning trees, plumbing began to look unappealing and everything took longer than anticipated.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
He ran back out of the tunnel and re-emerged to a roar from the Metropolitano.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
In fact, at our set, two songs in, I called over our assistant tour manager and I said, “Can you put some fans blowing back out into the audience?”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
Glasses flashed as the figure leaned forward, looking back out at me.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
