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

The club backed down, increasing prices by three per cent for this season and introducing a price freeze for the 2027-28 campaign. — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

But this solution was temporary and a more permanent replacement was needed as this antenna ensures that astronauts on the space station can quickly transmit critical information back down to Mission Control back on Earth. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter isn’t backing down after the WNBA team ejected former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom from Sunday’s game against the Indiana Fever. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Other artists may have backed down or said they were misquoted, but not Dolly. — Melinda Newman, Billboard, 25 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