backslide

verb

back·​slide ˈbak-ˌslīd 

backslid ˈbak-ˌslid  ; backslid or backslidden ˈbak-ˌsli-dᵊn  ; backsliding ˈbak-ˌslī-diŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to lapse morally or in the practice of religion

2

: to revert to a worse condition : retrogress

backslide noun

backslider

ˈbak-ˌslī-dər 

noun

Examples of backslide in a Sentence

Smokers who quit often backslide within a year.

Recent Examples on the Web

Surely there would be no backsliding from that, right? —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025

All this assumes that America and the West do not backslide into their own versions of authoritarianism. —Peter Leyden, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025

What followed in Serbia was backsliding on democracy. —Hanna Begić, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025

That’s how Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán consolidated control of the media in his country, according to scholars who witnessed Hungary’s democratic backsliding firsthand. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1554, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for backslide

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied

Kids Definition

backslide

verb

back·​slide ˈbak-ˌslīd 

backslid -ˌslid  ; backslid or backslidden -ˌslid-ᵊn  ; backsliding -ˌslīd-iŋ 

1

: to go back to a less religious or less moral condition

2

: to go back to a worse condition

backslide noun

backslider

-ˌslīd-ər 

noun