as in backed off
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 backed down
Sweeney has yet to address the drama herself, but American Eagle has not backed down.
—
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
While the city has backed down from its request for a consultant, an audit will cost about $15,000 — money the city is not providing but the organization is willing to foot, Pinion said.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2025
But Low has not backed down from his reporting.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2025
Ultimately, the woman backed down, finally leaving and refusing to look or speak to them for the rest of the flight.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, American Eagle hasn’t backed down.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Aug. 2025
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
While the city has backed down from its request for a consultant, an audit will cost about $15,000 — money the city is not providing but the organization is willing to foot, Pinion said.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2025
But Low has not backed down from his reporting.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2025
Ultimately, the woman backed down, finally leaving and refusing to look or speak to them for the rest of the flight.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, American Eagle hasn’t backed down.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed down
Verb
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The same team saw a Russian man enter his home in Irvine but backed off after three hours parked outside.—
Elliot Spagat,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Musk has backed off attacking the administration on X and, in some cases, appears to be fully supporting the White House.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Quintana said some organizations and companies backed out of sponsorships or being part of the march this year.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Sep. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Backed down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed%20down. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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