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 sport, therefore, has a strong relationship with the military, with troops in such environments regularly skinning up mountains before skiing back down. —Ben Church, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026

Negotiators are showing few signs of backing down from their demands, and there’s little holding back talks from dragging on for the foreseeable future. —Al Weaver, The Hill, 17 Feb. 2026

This week, for the first time at the Olympics, skiers will scamper uphill wearing carpet-like skins on their skis or just their stiff boots, then barrel back down an ungroomed course. —Evan Bush, NBC news, 15 Feb. 2026

While Lee and Hauswald prepare to roll out their vision, Houston, the City Council member, has not backed down from his push to expedite clearings of tents and RVs. —Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 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