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

• withdraw
• recall
• back out
• back down
• retract

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

Alas, they’re meant for a less collegial relationship — at least once the Jackal deals with reneging clients, skin-of-his-teeth escapes, disguises worthy of Industrial Light and Magic, and a kinda complicated in-law situation. —Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025

The truce was pulled back from the brink of collapse with further talks in London in June, after each side accused the other of reneging on its promises. —John Liu, CNN Money, 27 July 2025

Johnson, who campaigned against raising property taxes and instead pitched other progressive revenues, backed off of Lightfoot’s policy in his first budget, only to renege last year amid a nearly $1 billion deficit. —A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025

After a phone call with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, Trump reneged and agreed to go back to the July 9 deadline. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 7 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin renegare

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for renege

• big
• brig
• brigg
• dig
• fig
• gig
• jig
• mig
• pig
• prig
• rig
• sprig

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