as in to back out
to break a promise or agreement
if you back down about dinner again, I'm not going to agree to another date
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of back down
Trump backed down, for now, on his threat to forcibly annex the country in large part because of how poorly his plans were received domestically.
—
Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Never one to back down, Adamczyková went for it, diving feet-first into the line for every millimeter of a photo finish.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The good news is that Trump can be made to back down.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Speaking on Wednesday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams urged Heraskeyvch to back down.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back down
Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Never one to back down, Adamczyková went for it, diving feet-first into the line for every millimeter of a photo finish.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The good news is that Trump can be made to back down.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Speaking on Wednesday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams urged Heraskeyvch to back down.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down
Verb
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In Oklahoma City, after several protests and a packed city council meeting, a company that had planned to sell its warehouse to ICE backed out of the deal – a move cheered by Republican Mayor David Holt.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
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By 2025, average maturities had maturities had stretched back out to 71 months.—
Daniel J. Arbess,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But a large number of job gains might make Federal Reserve policymakers back off any further interest-rate cuts this year.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Since then, the White House has been negotiating with its trading partners, backing off on some of the more aggressive charges while maintaining tough talk on issues.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday, there were 652 officers on the force, with nearly 100 cops out on some kind of administrative or medical leave.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Aug. 2025
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But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors.—
Maris Kreizman,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Verb
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For Dallas’ Black community in the late 1950s through the 1960s, the Forest Theater was the place to see and be seen, recalls Shirley Rhodes, an 80-year-old South Dallas native who spent Saturdays there during her childhood while engrossed in the cinematic offerings.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-day government shutdown that led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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