Phrasal Verbs
- 1to move backwards in order to get away from somebody/something frightening or unpleasant As the riot police approached, the crowd backed off.
- 2to stop threatening, criticizing or annoying somebody Back off! There's no need to yell at me. The press have agreed to back off and leave the couple alone.
to choose not to take action, in order to avoid a difficult situation The government backed off from a confrontation.
