Back off
2 meanings · select one to explore
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Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To move away or stop being aggressive or involved in something. Can be physical or emotional
Example sentence
You need to back off — you’re too close.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
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Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
back off a little
told him to back off
back off from the situation
back off emotionally
police told the crowd to back off
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
She backed off when he got angry. ✅ (Correct)
She backed when he got angry off. ❌ (Incorrect)