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
-
If the plane heaves up, the spoilers can press it back down.—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Huskies defenseman Kai Janviriya guided the puck back down the ice and was getting ready to possibly send his team home with a victory.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Aztecs put together runs of 16-0 in the first half and 13-0 in the fourth quarter to pull away.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The Wildcats outscored Van Alstyne (24-11) by 7 points in both the first and third quarters to help pull away.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Climb down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climb%20down. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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