backtrack

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the legal arguments in this letter were so weak that no one pursued them seriously, and the Department of Justice later had to backtrack the arguments in court.

From Slate • Apr. 29, 2026

“The President has this tendency to TACO,” he said, referring to Trump’s tendency to announce tough policies only to backtrack on those announcements later.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

In September, mere hours after Charlie Kirk was killed, Patel prematurely announced a suspect had been apprehended — only to have to backtrack when authorities had taken the wrong man into custody.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026

Over the past year, the government has been forced to backtrack on some of its policies - including cuts to welfare and the winter fuel payment - after objections from its own MPs.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

He’d try it the other way too, then backtrack, then rewrite what he’d written, again and again, until he couldn’t even tell if what he was writing was different from what he’d written before.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen