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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

walk back en · VERB

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To withdraw or backpedal on a statement or promise.
    • Did Obama walk back his support of Cordoba House? As you know, the Internets are alive with the claim that Obama has now walked back his support of Cordoba House, and I've gotten tons of emails telling me that my earlier praise of the speech is no longer operative. But did he really walk back what he said last night? 2010, Greg Sargent, The Plumb Line:
    • That seemed comforting — but then the president over the weekend walked back his promise. 2021 June 30, Farhad Manjoo, “Democrats Have a Year to Save the Planet”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see walk, back.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
walks back Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
walking back Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
walked back Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
walked back Tense=Past lexicographic

Deriveds

walkback

Relateds

roll back · rollback

Synonyms

retract · unspeak · take back · unsay