renege

verb

re·​nege ri-ˈneg 

 also  -ˈnāg,

-ˈnig;

rē- 

reneged; reneging

intransitive verb

1

: to go back on a promise or commitment

2

: revoke

3

obsolete : to make a denial

transitive verb

: deny, renounce

reneger noun

Synonyms

• withdraw
• recall
• back out
• back down
• retract

Examples of renege in a Sentence

They had promised to pay her tuition but later reneged.

my so-called best friend promised to help me move, only to renege come Saturday morning

Recent Examples on the Web

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decided last week that the U.S. will renege on its vow to assist the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) financially. —Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

But even the truce with China was threatened after Washington and Beijing accused each other of reneging on the terms, leading to marathon talks earlier this week in London on how to implement their agreement. —Arkansas Online, 13 June 2025

Both sides had accused each other of reneging on a preliminary trade deal struck in Switzerland last month. —Sam Meredith,april Roach, CNBC, 11 June 2025

Last week, the Trump administration reneged on a pledge to host an open World Cup by issuing a travel ban on people from 12 countries, including Iran, which has already qualified for the World Cup. —Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin renegare

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for renege

• big
• brig
• brigg
• dig
• fig
• gig
• jig
• mig
• pig
• prig
• rig
• sprig

Kids Definition

renege

verb

re·​nege ri-ˈnig  -ˈneg 

-ˈnēg,

-ˈnāg

reneged; reneging

1

: deny

2

: to go back on a promise or agreement

reneged on paying the debt

reneger noun