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
Akademiks, never one to back down from controversy, swiftly clapped back on social media with a provocative tweet that many perceived as both dismissive and disrespectful.
—
Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 29 May 2025
Block offers temporary relief, creates more chaos However, while markets perked up following the ruling, there is likely to be little long-term relief, as nobody expects Trump to back down from his tariff tactics.
—Ashley Belanger – May 29, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2025
However, in Minnesota’s Game 3 blowout, Edwards’ attempts were down at 17 and then back down to 13 for Game 4.
—Matias Grez, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
Mahan has refused to back down, maintaining that making difficult decisions is necessary to steer San Jose in the right direction.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 29 May 2025
Block offers temporary relief, creates more chaos However, while markets perked up following the ruling, there is likely to be little long-term relief, as nobody expects Trump to back down from his tariff tactics.
—Ashley Belanger – May 29, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2025
However, in Minnesota’s Game 3 blowout, Edwards’ attempts were down at 17 and then back down to 13 for Game 4.
—Matias Grez, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
Mahan has refused to back down, maintaining that making difficult decisions is necessary to steer San Jose in the right direction.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down
Verb
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Esther has a steep driveway that continuously triggers Subaru’s Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB) system when backing out of her driveway.—
Michael Harley,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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The voracious pachyderm finally backed out of the store, a bag of snacks still clasped in his trunk.—
Chelsea Chan,
NBC news,
5 June 2025
Verb
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The visit on Thursday is critical for Merz to try on behalf of the 27-member bloc to convince Trump to back off the 50 percent tariffs.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
5 June 2025
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South Florida’s rainy season started off to an unusually wet start, but the downpours are expected to back off for the rest of the week.—
Abigail Hasebroock,
Sun Sentinel,
4 June 2025
Verb
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About 20 minutes later, the two cops out in front were joined by a third officer.—
Melody Chiu,
People.com,
7 Jan. 2025
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The judges avoid giving critiques to the girls this week but do talk among one another, which is kind of weird but also means that nobody gets to cop out of Rate-a-Queen and just imitate the judges.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Krueger recalls a client missing tax-free QSBS treatment by only six months due to the timing of an acquisition.—
Kristin McKenna,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Loew was made the mark in a kind of confidence game, Schulberg recalls, with Thalberg and Mayer putting on a show of activity at the failing Louis B. Mayer Productions that nonetheless impressed the Hollywood innocent.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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