Idioms

draw back

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draw back

1. To move backwards, away from someone or something. The baby drew back when the cat started meowing at her. As soon as I heard the buzzing bees, I drew back from the flowers. I drew back with a gasp when the pot suddenly boiled over.
2. To abandon a plan or course of action. I had hoped to play baseball again this year, but I had to draw back after I broke my foot in the first game of the season. Hey, you can't just decide to draw back from being a parent and walk out on your family! Come on, you can't draw back from your career as an artist just because you got one bad review!
3. To retreat or withdraw. The troops were so outnumbered that they were forced to draw back. I drew back when I noticed a gang of teenagers up ahead. Oh please, Grandpa is never one to draw back from his beliefs—you won't change his mind.
See also: back, draw
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

draw back

1. Retreat, as in The heckler drew back into the crowd to avoid being identified. [c. 1300]
2. Withdraw from an undertaking, as in I was too deeply committed to draw back now. [Mid-1800s]
See also: back, draw
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

draw back

v.
1. To retreat: The soldiers drew back after a night of intense fighting. When the general gave the order, the regiment drew back.
2. To recoil from someone or something: The dog drew back when my friend moved to pet it. He reached out to me, but I drew back.
3. To decide not to follow a planned course of action: The politician drew back from seeking candidacy this year.
See also: back, draw
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive
EMBATTLED union bosses were urged to "draw back from the brink" yesterday as public sector workers began a national work-torule protest against pay cuts.
DRAW BACK FROM BRINK; Gormley urges unions to end strikes
I started to draw back my bow when she suddenly turned and looked down her back trail.
West Texas success
Frank Rijkaard's side have turned the Nou Camp into a fortress and have maintained a100 per cent home record since Villarreal held them to a draw back on April 3.
FOOTBALL: EURO SPECIAL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Celts enter the fortress
Mr Wilkes said: "For those of us wholeheartedly involved in ministry in our fast-changing society, it is difficult to draw back and realise that we are part of a much wider picture.
Cash help for cleric going on world tour
At about 90 yards I had the chance to draw back so I did, thinking he was headed in.
Stalking through soybeans
As he crossed the creek, I was able to draw back and prepare for the approaching buck.
15 years of bowhunting pays off
"The DUP should draw back from confrontations in constituencies that can only result in damaging unionism.
DON'T SPLIT VOTE PLEADS TRIMBLE
Red learnt how to put his mouth around the bolt on his door, lift it, draw back the lock and then free the other dogs for midnight feasts.
300 WANT STRAY RED
He added: "The very point of this academy is to see yourself in relation to the other person, not to exclude, not to draw back."
Heaney in riot appeal
And the other draw back is that the matches will be screened at 1am unless the kick-off times can be altered for the benefit of European TV.
FOOTBALL: UNITED ARE A TURN-OFF
And he urged leaders on all sides to draw back from the "abyss".
BISHOP WARNS OF ANARCHY THREAT
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