To back off is to retreat and stop pressuring somebody. Hands up, and a step away.
It is often an instruction, and telling somebody to back off is a warning rather than a request. It also describes organisations and campaigns, so a regulator that backs off has stopped pursuing something. The physical sense of moving back is where it starts. It is worth separating from back down, which is about admitting you will not win, and back out, which is about withdrawing from a deal.
1phraseback offTo stop pressing or pressuring somebody.
“You need to back off and give her some room.”
Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove
First appears in chapter 6 of A Man Called Ove.
Practise this word