back down

verb

backed down; backing down; backs down
Synonyms of back downnext

intransitive verb

: to withdraw from a commitment or position

Examples of back down in a Sentence

if you back down about dinner again, I'm not going to agree to another date
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Our porters, who carried all our gear up this mountain, have already made it to Base Camp and are heading back down, and on to their next job. Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025 As an example, when a new seaport opened in the south of the country earlier this year to much fanfare, the government initially blocked operators from receiving containers until pressure by the private port association forced the government to back down. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 19 Dec. 2025 Giles called as a small body (by orca standards) shot out of the water, arced in the air and smacked back down with a belly-flop splash. Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025 Healthcare practitioners strive to help patients achieve prediabetes remission by getting blood sugar levels back down to a normal range — typically between 70 and 99 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) when fasting. Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 16 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for back down

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of back down was in 1849

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Cite this Entry

“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20down. Accessed 25 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

back down

verb
: to retreat from a stand one has taken or from a challenge one has accepted

More from Merriam-Webster on back down

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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