as in to back down
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Recent Examples of climb down
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
His thesis is that if the GOP sticks together, Senate Democrats would have to climb down and accept House Republicans’ spending bill to get through the next seven weeks.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
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
His thesis is that if the GOP sticks together, Senate Democrats would have to climb down and accept House Republicans’ spending bill to get through the next seven weeks.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for climb down
Verb
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Negotiations have been stalled for months, and neither side appears close to backing down.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Rodman, like many Black women in her position, wasn’t backing down.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Olivia Olson, who had 23 points, made a three-point play and three-pointer on consecutive possessions and Syla Swords followed with a layup to help the Wolverines (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten) pull away with an eight-point lead in OT.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
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Jokić had 8 points, including a vintage floater off one foot, plus a behind-the-back pass to Peyton Watson, in less than four minutes, helping Denver pull away.—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Climb down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climb%20down. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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