renege

verb

re·​nege ri-ˈneg 

 also  -ˈnāg,

-ˈnig;

rē- 

reneged; reneging

intransitive verb

1

: to go back on a promise or commitment

2

: revoke

3

obsolete : to make a denial

transitive verb

: deny, renounce

reneger noun

Synonyms

• back down
• back off
• back out
• cop out
• fink out

Examples of renege in a Sentence

They had promised to pay her tuition but later reneged.

my so-called best friend promised to help me move, only to renege come Saturday morning

Recent Examples on the Web

Lengthy negotiations behind closed doors narrowed the list of new members down to six, which became five after Argentina reneged its commitment to join in the wake of the triumph of the libertarian Javier Milei in presidential elections last fall. —Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 24 Sep. 2024

Wanting to bring an end to the war and concerned that Taliban fighters might target American service members if the U.S. reneged on the deal, the Biden administration stayed the course but amended the U.S. withdrawal deadline to Aug. 31, 2021. —Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2024

In 1793, George Washington unilaterally reneged on the alliance that the United States had concluded with France in 1778 to secure French help during the Revolutionary War. —Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2024

Biden even reneged on a campaign promise not to allow more oil and gas drilling on public lands, approving one of the largest oil developments in Alaska. —Umair Irfan, Vox, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin renegare

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

renege

verb

re·​nege ri-ˈnig  -ˈneg 

-ˈnēg,

-ˈnāg

reneged; reneging

1

: deny

2

: to go back on a promise or agreement

reneged on paying the debt

reneger noun