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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Recent Examples of back down
Pause, then lower the weights back down to shoulder height.
—
Jenessa Connor, Health, 10 Apr. 2026
Burtka wasn’t shy about his skepticism, and Harris wasn’t about to back down.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
One idea the Cubs could consider would be to send Ben Brown back down to Triple A to get stretched out.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Some speculated the cap hit was designed to enable him to pass through waivers and back down to the minors.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back down
Jenessa Connor, Health, 10 Apr. 2026
Burtka wasn’t shy about his skepticism, and Harris wasn’t about to back down.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
One idea the Cubs could consider would be to send Ben Brown back down to Triple A to get stretched out.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Some speculated the cap hit was designed to enable him to pass through waivers and back down to the minors.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down
Verb
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Good thing Roberts sent Ohtani back out too.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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Vineyard Wind is now in peril after the firm filed a lawsuit against the wind farm’s contractor, GE Vernova, which is threatening to back out of the massive project over a dispute about costs.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Labor unions, other interests and influential politicians began backing off their endorsements.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
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Fierce bipartisan opposition prompted the administration to back off the plans.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To say these machines are too expense is a cop out.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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Rather than throwing those bad cops out of the union and asking for better training so cops will never have to ask what to do when a fellow cop appears to have broken the law, Hendry encourages them.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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During a January episode of Dinner’s On Me, the pair recalled the hysterical moment that the show’s casting director, Jeff Greenberg, walked directly into a glass wall near the show’s craft service area.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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But titles feel almost superfluous aboard Evrima, where everyone from the tender drivers to food and beverage leads will pause to actually get to know you, and recall your name and story (and even your drink order) throughout your stay to make the entire experience feel organic and warm.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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