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.
“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
As a result, Russia may draw back some of its air defences, says Ben Barry, a senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2023
I thought Dallas would be the Kraken’s best first-round draw, back when that was still in question.
From Seattle Times • May 1, 2023
“Not at all, sir. It is a beautiful moonlight night; and so mild that I must draw back from your great fire.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
