walk back

present singular third person walks back · participle present walking back · participle past walked back · past walked back

1. transitiveTo withdraw or backpedal on a statement or promise.

   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

   1 more example

   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

   Synonyms: retract, unsay, unspeak, take back

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see walk, back.