Synonyms of back down

back down

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• back out
• back off
• cop out
• recall
• go back on
• withdraw
• fink out
• chicken (out)
• renege
• retract
• take back
• wimp out
• beg off
• cry off
• backtrack
• recant
• backpedal
• unsay
• forswear
• disavow
• abjure
• abnegate
• repudiate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adhere (to)
• comply (with)
• follow through (with)
• keep
• honor
• satisfy
• fulfill

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of back down

Turning plastic back into fuel is essentially a process of reverse engineering — using heat and chemistry to chop those massive chains back down into short, usable fuel molecules. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 July 2026

These fragments then reassemble into complex organic compounds, some of which condense and snow back down onto the surface below, which is where the JWST detected them. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 July 2026

For a 39-year-old from New Zealand, the son of an All Blacks rugby star who once only dreamed of having a card on any tour, this was no time to back down. — Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026

But the Academy eventually backed down from that idea after the WGA and DGA took issue with the Emmy proposals; the Academy’s director and writer peer groups drafted a compromise. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 17 July 2026