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.
back out
| Idioms: back out |
| WordNet: back out |
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
| Shopping: back out |
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 |
ADVERTISEMENT
Mentioned in
- second mining (mining engineering)
- Nonrefundable Fee or Nonrefundable Deposit (business term)
- weasel out (Idiom)
- out front (Idiom)
- Reimbursement (finance term)
- For Monkeys (1997 Album by Millencolin)
- Compact Command Performances: 20 Greatest Hits (1986 Album by Marvin Gaye)
- back away (Idiom)
- chicken out (Idiom)
- cop out (Idiom)
