as in to back out
to break a promise or agreement
if you back down about dinner again, I'm not going to agree to another date
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Recent Examples of back down
Another firm, Covington & Burling, took no action in response to a more limited executive order, while two others, Paul, Weiss and Skadden Arps, reached cosmetic settlements with the President, allowing Trump to back down from his threats.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
President Barack Obama’s team tried to exclude Fox News from a briefing offered to other networks, only to back down when the rest of the press corps stood up for Fox.
—The Learning Network, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Then, in 2023, the accretion disk cooled back down again, resulting in the dimming, although matter continues to flow from the disk to the white dwarf at a slower rate.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Swalwell draws parallels between his father’s principled stand against corruption as a police chief and his own refusal to back down, framing resistance as a moral imperative learned from his upbringing[1][3].
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
President Barack Obama’s team tried to exclude Fox News from a briefing offered to other networks, only to back down when the rest of the press corps stood up for Fox.
—The Learning Network, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Then, in 2023, the accretion disk cooled back down again, resulting in the dimming, although matter continues to flow from the disk to the white dwarf at a slower rate.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Swalwell draws parallels between his father’s principled stand against corruption as a police chief and his own refusal to back down, framing resistance as a moral imperative learned from his upbringing[1][3].
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down
Verb
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In addition to ending several college deals and its on-field NFL pact, Under Armour backed out of an agreement to outfit MLB and paid a penalty.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
25 Mar. 2025
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Payton and Brady, once Plan A for the Dolphins, backed out of coming and hiring Mike McDaniel became Plan B. The NFL investigated Flores’ allegation that Ross offered money to lose games.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Another source said Sörensen backed off the officials once it was explained Bedard had been holding Nemec’s stick.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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On March 11, Trump threatened a 50% tariff on Canada’s aluminum and steel but backed off the same day after Ontario agreed to suspend its 25% surcharge on electricity exports to Michigan, Minnesota and New York.—
David Goldman,
CNN,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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About 20 minutes later, the two cops out in front were joined by a third officer.—
Melody Chiu,
People.com,
7 Jan. 2025
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The judges avoid giving critiques to the girls this week but do talk among one another, which is kind of weird but also means that nobody gets to cop out of Rate-a-Queen and just imitate the judges.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Hilda had just moved there to start her dream job, recalls her father.—
Jonathan Vigliotti,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2025
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Her voice cracked, recalling the moment her optimism shattered.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
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