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walk back

to retract or soften a statement

In Headline Expressions

In more detail

1. (verb) to move backward by walking, or to take a few steps backward

2. (verb) to withdraw or reverse a statement, promise, or decision that you made earlier

Examples

• 1. She walked back to the car to get her keys.
• 2. The politician tried to walk back his controversial comments the next day.

How to use walk back

Walk back primarily means to withdraw or renounce something previously said or committed to, often implying reluctance or political necessity. It is more informal than retract or recant and is commonly used in news media and political contexts. The literal sense (moving backward) is less common in modern usage.

Register: informal

Common phrases

• walk back a statement
• walk back a claim
• walk back a promise
• walk back a decision
• walk back earlier comments

Synonyms

retract · recant · backtrack · reverse · take back

Opposites

stand by · maintain · uphold

Word family

walk · back · walking back · walked back

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse this phrasal verb with simply "going back" or "returning." Walk back specifically means to reverse or withdraw a position, not merely to return to a place.

Nearby in Headline Expressions

a game changer, a race to the bottom, double down, pass the buck, sit on the fence, a red line

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained