Verb: back off bak óf
- Move backwards from a certain position
"The bully had to back off";
- back up, back down
- Remove oneself from an obligation
"He backed off when he heard how much work was involved";
- chicken out [informal], pull out, back down, bow out
Derived forms: backed off, backs off, backing off
See also: back
Type of: draw back, move back, pull away, pull back, recede, retire, retreat, withdraw