draw back
Idioms-
Retreat, as in The heckler drew back into the crowd to avoid being identified . [c. 1300]
-
Withdraw from an undertaking, as in I was too deeply committed to draw back now . [Mid-1800s]
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.
Nor is it good news for workers, whose job security becomes less stable if businesses draw back on investment and start to cut costs.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2025
“We can’t allow this kind of bullying to make us so fearful that we are paralyzed and that we draw back from our core values.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2025
There were two stagehands waiting to draw back the curtains for us to go on and one said: “‘You nervous?’
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
“When you’re able to draw back on experience and you’re able to lean on experience, that’s going to be huge.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
The wolf slid to the left and leapt before she could draw back the spear.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. 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.
