1
as in to withdraw
to break a promise or agreement
my so-called best friend promised to help me move, only to renege come Saturday morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to retract
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to)
refused to renege the principles by which she had always lived her life, even if it resulted in losing her business
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of renege
Invariably, Ali would renege on his apologies.
—
Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Newsom committed Wednesday to release some state funding to the struggling agencies, including BART and AC Transit, after lawmakers raised the alarm that the governor was reneging on his prior commitment to do so.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Some would even try and renege at the end of their two-month free trial.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Instead, Doreen turns up a couple hours later with a new car, unapologetic about reneging on their agreement.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for renege
Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Newsom committed Wednesday to release some state funding to the struggling agencies, including BART and AC Transit, after lawmakers raised the alarm that the governor was reneging on his prior commitment to do so.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Some would even try and renege at the end of their two-month free trial.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Instead, Doreen turns up a couple hours later with a new car, unapologetic about reneging on their agreement.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for renege
Recent Examples of Synonyms for renege
Verb
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Hamas fired towards Israeli forces beyond the Yellow Line – the line behind which Israeli troops have withdrawn according to the ceasefire deal – in three separate incidents on Sunday, according to another military official.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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Afghanistan withdrew from a Twenty20 international tri-series in Pakistan following the deaths of three local cricketers, which the Afghanistan Cricket Board attributed to military strikes in Paktika province.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At the gubernatorial debate, Spanberger repeated her condemnation of the messages but refused to retract her endorsement of Jones, saying Jones is running his own race and voters should decide what to do with the information.—
Margaret Barthel,
NPR,
16 Oct. 2025
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The grounds crews can work on the grass sections in tight quarters underneath the concourses and get grow lamps on them even when they’re retracted.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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How did one moped — perhaps a light-bodied Eighties-era Mobylette, which Le Grand recalls seeing in the young men’s apartment — carry two adult men and a 300-pound marble bust through the streets of Paris?—
David Kushner,
Rolling Stone,
20 Oct. 2025
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See full list of shrimp items recalled What should consumers do?—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Royalist émigrés began to trickle back into the country in 1795, and a number of Jacobins who renounced their earlier radicalism were also reintegrated into civil society.—
Time,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
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Hamas members who renounce violence will be granted amnesty or safe passage, while those who continue resistance will be excluded from Gaza’s future governance.—
Morgan Phillips,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Friends and family fully lean into it — sending Holly into the stall when things aren’t looking good, only calling her back out for the action once the team starts turning things around.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
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Such was not the case in 2021, when UCLA backed out five hours before kickoff against North Carolina State.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Upon the basis of these findings, Congress declares that the constitutional right of citizens to vote is denied or abridged in some areas by the requirement of the payment of a poll tax as a precondition to voting.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
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The administration says the white South African farmers face discrimination and violence in South Africa, which the country’s government denies.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And more than anything, more than the animosity between the programs, more than the College Football Playoff impact, more than Notre Dame puffing its chest out as USC backed down, that familiarity was the real higher power at work.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
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The administration only backed down after both Democrats and Republicans criticized the move.—
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Renege.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/renege. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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