walk back

verb

walked back; walking back; walks back

transitive verb

US
: to retreat from or distance oneself from (a previously stated opinion or position)
… try not to say anything in the primary campaign that you might need to walk back in the general election.The Progressive Populist
… has tried to walk back his suggestion about Japan, in particular, claiming in recent days that he "never said" that the Asian nation should acquire nuclear weapons.Julian Hattem

Examples of walk back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Despite the evacuation, the general atmosphere among many festivalgoers was calm as crowds were walking back to their cars. Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026 Both Live Nation and the singer’s management team denied it, and Tools for Humanity has since walked back the claim. Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026 Hill is walking back both of those strategies at Nike, going deeper into wholesale again and working with Skims to rejuvenate its women’s business. Shelly Banjo, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026 As Lee sat on the dirt home plate, cameras caught Rushing walking back to the dugout and making a remark. Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for walk back

Word History

First Known Use

2000, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of walk back was in 2000

Cite this Entry

“Walk back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/walk%20back. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.

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