When the platform began to shake, everyone was told to step back from the edge.

Adopting those old policies would be a step back for the company.

When the crowd surged forward, I found myself stepping back to avoid being pushed.

At busy terminals, stepping back has become standard practice: a second driver boards the rear cab of an arriving train and departs from that end while the first driver walks the platform to take over the next departure.

When the dog growls unexpectedly, he steps back to give it space.

When the argument turned personal, she stepped back from the conversation to cool down.

When negotiations became heated, she decided to take a step back and reassess our goals.

After months of effort, the project's apparent gains became one step forward, two steps back for the team when the new regulations wiped out their progress.