climbing down

verb

present participle of climb down
as in backing down

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for climbing down
  1. backing down
  2. bowing out
Verb
  • But bottom line here, George, the White House shows no signs of backing down.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Sheeran himself has faced significant backlash over the move, with critics blasting him for backing down, not supporting Macklemore and seeking to avoid taking sides on the matter.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of backing down
Verb
  • Keller went 10-1-1 in 1993, with a tie against Abilene Cooper (39-39) in Week 3, before bowing out in the second round of the playoffs.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Charleson received rave reviews, but died just seven weeks after bowing out.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of bowing out
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

climbing (aboard)
climbing down
climbs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Climbing down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climbing%20down. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of syncretic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All