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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of back down
Luckily, the man was not injured, and by Thursday afternoon, the feline made its own way back down to the ground, per the outlets.
—
Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Don’t back down from abundance.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
But Paul knows some aikido, and Carey is a physical-education teacher, and both have probably watched some WWE, so neither is willing to back down.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
Pulte responded to Schiff’s latest comments earlier Sunday, vowing to not back down from the investigation.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Don’t back down from abundance.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
But Paul knows some aikido, and Carey is a physical-education teacher, and both have probably watched some WWE, so neither is willing to back down.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
Pulte responded to Schiff’s latest comments earlier Sunday, vowing to not back down from the investigation.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down
Verb
-
By the time Sega backed out of the hardware race post-Dreamcast, Shinobi mostly limped on with a couple of 3D entries for PlayStation and Nintendo platforms before fading into obscurity.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The driver was trying to back out, but the tires were just spinning in the mud.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In both cases, Tibetans immediately backed off.—
Tenzin Dorjee,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Discomfort is a sign to back off.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
The Food and Drug Administration is recalling frozen shrimp sold at Walmart for possible radioactive chemical contamination.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
21 Aug. 2025
-
The Food and Drug Administration is recalling frozen shrimp sold at Walmart, including stores in Ohio and Kentucky, for possible radioactive chemical contamination.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
The Enquirer,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share