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.
He then dashed back out to sea to rescue her daughter.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Art pulls us back out toward beauty and toward each other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Cole came back out for the seventh and walked Mookie Betts to lead off the inning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
She came back out for the third set looking like she had put everything that had happened behind her and just trusted her tennis again.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
I let my breath out and relaxed my shoulders and looked back out the window.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
