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back out

 
Idioms: back out


1.  Move or retreat backwards without turning; same as back away, def. 1.
2.  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.


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WordNet: back out
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: move out of a space backwards

Meaning #2: make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity
  Synonyms: retreat, pull back, back away, crawfish, crawfish out, pull in one's horns, withdraw


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Copyrights:

Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more

 

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