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
Israel was reluctant to agree to a UN mandate for the international force but backed down under US pressure, according to a senior Israeli official.
—
Eugenia Yosef, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
The boom comes as the tariff spat with Washington has kicked up nationalistic support in China, and a promise not to back down in its face-off with the US.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Removing this layer restricts the tree from moving water up from the roots or nutrients back down, a process known as girdling.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
Squeeze the upper back at the top of the position before lowering back down.
—Leoni Jesner, Health, 1 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Eugenia Yosef, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
The boom comes as the tariff spat with Washington has kicked up nationalistic support in China, and a promise not to back down in its face-off with the US.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Removing this layer restricts the tree from moving water up from the roots or nutrients back down, a process known as girdling.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
Squeeze the upper back at the top of the position before lowering back down.
—Leoni Jesner, Health, 1 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down
Verb
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Shanahan was asked if Jones' solid play has any effect on how quickly the team gets Purdy back out on the field.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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All the charges, however, weren't bail-eligible due to the state's 2019 no-bail law, sending Gooding back out onto the streets.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Raptors guard Jose Calderon backed off and Lin pulled up.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
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Dado Ruvic | Reuters Bitcoin on Tuesday plunged below $100,000 for the first time in more than four months, as cryptocurrency holders backed off the risk-on asset amid growing concerns about the sustainability of stock valuations driven to stratospheric heights by the artificial intelligence trade.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
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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In a 2017 oral history of the notorious scene, One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn recalled that the origins of the scene lay in the idea of cultivating some sympathy for the villainous Dan.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Nov. 2025
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Clarkson recalled that former boyfriend musician Graham Colton introduced her to Griffin’s music.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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