as in backing 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 backing down
Democrats are doubling down that Republicans are the ones to blame for federal workers’ pain, arguing that backing down and voting for the GOP continuing resolution will likely come back to haunt them.
—
Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not backing down in its fight against National Public Radio.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Still, Johnson isn’t backing down.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Trump traveled to Alaska calling for a ceasefire before backing down.
—Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025
The President, en route back to Washington, had Mitchell and the White House counsel, John Ehrlichman, draft a statement backing down even further.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
This is a nice, rare moment of Cipher actually backing down slightly.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Rather than backing down, entrepreneurs are pushing forward.
—Anna Horndahl, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not backing down in its fight against National Public Radio.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Still, Johnson isn’t backing down.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Trump traveled to Alaska calling for a ceasefire before backing down.
—Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025
The President, en route back to Washington, had Mitchell and the White House counsel, John Ehrlichman, draft a statement backing down even further.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
This is a nice, rare moment of Cipher actually backing down slightly.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Rather than backing down, entrepreneurs are pushing forward.
—Anna Horndahl, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backing down
Verb
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After backing out of Monday's Dawson's Creek cast reunion in New York City due to illness, James Van Der Beek still made a surprise appearance at the event in a sweet video message for attendees and his fellow cast members.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
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This could either result in investors backing out of purchasing the debt, or demanding higher interest payments to offset the risk.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Malik’s boss is not happy that Malik doesn’t have a grip on the Crane brothers, though Malik assures him that Amos frightened Sarah into backing off — and that Dinah is tucked away at a safe house.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
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Benioff clarified his National Guard comments in subsequent days leading up to Dreamforce, without backing off his long-running concerns over public safety.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backing down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backing%20down. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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