about the bush abrupt alienate avoid back down back out backslide balance beat a retreat beat around beg the question blench blink boggle cast off cast out cock cringe cut adrift cut off cut out debate delete deliberate demur depart disarticulate disconnect disengage disjoin disjoint dissociate disunite divide divorce dodge draw back draw in draw off duck eject equivocate estrange evade expel fade fall astern fall back fall behind falter fear fence fight shy of flinch get behind give ground give place go back go backwards go behind hang back hang off have qualms hedge hem and haw hesitate hold off hover hum and haw isolate jerk back jib lapse leave lose ground make bones about move back parry part pause ponder pull away pull in pull out pussyfoot put off quail recede recidivate recoil reel back regress relapse retire retract retreat retrocede retroflex retrograde retrogress return revert run back scruple segregate separate sequester set apart set aside sheer off shift shift off shilly-shally shrink shrink back shut off shy shy at shy away shy off sidestep slip back split stand aloof stand apart stand aside stand back start aside start back step aside stick at stickle stop to consider straddle the fence strain strain at subtract swerve think twice about throw off throw out turn aside uncouple unyoke ward off waver weasel weasel out wince withdraw yield