I have a small follow-up question: can I substitute the verbs “back off” or “back down” for the verb “back away” in my sentence without any tangible change in meaning?
Hehe, no, that’s positively not what I originally had in mind. It’s funny how articles can turn around the meaning sometimes.
Back away/back off are the same.
I’d say there was a very subtle change of meaning when using ‘back down’.
Back off/away/up are warnings to step back away from a situation.
Back down can also mean the same, but can more often mean ‘renounce’, ‘take back what you said’, ‘not continue to support that particular belief through your words or actions’