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

Quincy Mayor Tom Koch is not backing down and has downplayed the religious meaning of the statues. — Neal Riley, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Bessent didn’t back down from the possibility of going further. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Alice and Gemma really don’t seem to get along, and neither seems inclined to back down from their hostile postures. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026

Paige Bueckers scored 21 points and brought the Wings back down the stretch. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 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