back down

verb

backed down; backing down; backs down

intransitive verb

: to withdraw from a commitment or position

Synonyms of back down

• back out
• back off
• cop out
• recall

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

Lower it back down and repeat on the opposite side. —Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 11 June 2026

For a classic SoHo pastime, walk the shopping streets of Canal and Broadway– then back down Spring and place your bags back at the hotel. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 June 2026

Additionally, Davies previously told Entertainment Weekly that the Disney+ deal gave Doctor Who a larger budget for every episode, which presumably means that the streamer's departure will bring the budgets back down to the show's pre-Disney days. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026

His critics by now should have realized Aguirre, the survivor, the dreamer, the savior, the fighter, isn’t about to start backing down. —Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for back down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

back down

verb

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