as in to back down
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Recent Examples of climb down
He was taken to the Northumberland County Jail in Pennsylvania, but escaped in July 1996 by climbing a rain spout to the roof and then using a cable to climb down to the ground, according to the affidavit.
—
Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
But when Becky begins to climb down, several rusty bolts give out and the ladder collapses, crashing to the sand below.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
La Casa has a large, centralized pool; the beach is a good climb down a pathway carved into the cliff; and the grounds have a grass tennis court and croquet lawn, too.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
But even if the White House finds a ladder to climb down, that may only temper short-term volatility.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026
The boys agree to take turns guarding the door, and Bundle shrugs off the latest of Bill’s urgings to stay out of harm’s way to pop back to her room, put on an all-black cat-burglar-type ensemble, and attempt to climb down the ivy from her bedroom to the front of the house.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
The man grabbed a ladder and helped his wife safely climb down.
—Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Gomez jumped off the cover onto the grass below, down nine feet, to get a ladder so his wife could climb down to safety.
—Sierra Van Der Brug, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
Both sides have appeared to climb down from that latest escalation following eleventh-hour trade talks between top negotiators this weekend in Malaysia.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
But when Becky begins to climb down, several rusty bolts give out and the ladder collapses, crashing to the sand below.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
La Casa has a large, centralized pool; the beach is a good climb down a pathway carved into the cliff; and the grounds have a grass tennis court and croquet lawn, too.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
But even if the White House finds a ladder to climb down, that may only temper short-term volatility.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026
The boys agree to take turns guarding the door, and Bundle shrugs off the latest of Bill’s urgings to stay out of harm’s way to pop back to her room, put on an all-black cat-burglar-type ensemble, and attempt to climb down the ivy from her bedroom to the front of the house.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
The man grabbed a ladder and helped his wife safely climb down.
—Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Gomez jumped off the cover onto the grass below, down nine feet, to get a ladder so his wife could climb down to safety.
—Sierra Van Der Brug, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
Both sides have appeared to climb down from that latest escalation following eleventh-hour trade talks between top negotiators this weekend in Malaysia.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for climb down
Verb
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The midterms may hinge on affordability Democrats are making affordability the central plank of their pitch to voters in November, arguing that Trump has failed in his campaign promise to bring prices back down despite Republican control of Congress.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Potentially most importantly, Bane was coming from the Memphis Grizzlies, who made a name for themselves by not backing down to anyone who stood in front of them.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, Kamau, who faded at the finish, started to pull away from the rest of the field at Mile 10 and led all challengers by more than a minute, including the hard-charging Martin, until the final mile.—
John Davis,
Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Alexis Manyoma netted the go-ahead score in the second half and Rafael Navarro added a pair of insurance goals, all after Los Angeles was forced to play a man down, helping the Colorado Rapids pull away for a 4-1 victory over the Galaxy on Saturday night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Climb down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climb%20down. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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