recanting

verb

present participle of recant
as in retracting
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to) the Inquisition forced Galileo to recant his support of the Copernican observation that the earth revolves around the sun

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of recanting But in 1999, the four men were arrested, with Springsteen and Scott confessing and later recanting, according to the AP. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026 Campbell also dismissed the third eyewitness recanting her testimony, saying there's no evidence of tampering during the trial. — Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 26 Jan. 2026 Lunsford ended up recanting his statement when questioned again, this time by a district attorney’s investigator. — Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025 However, in a 2024 court filing known as a coram nobis petition, Zachary Adams revealed Autry was recanting his testimony and asked for a new trial. — Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recanting
  1. retracting
  2. renouncing
  3. withdrawing
  4. denying
  5. contradicting
Verb
  • The remote control has mixed reviews, with this seemingly retracting from its otherwise glowing reviews.
    — Tantse Walter, Space.com, 26 June 2026
  • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a recall notice that the seat belts in certain Expedition and Lincoln vehicles may inadvertently lock, preventing the belt from retracting or extending.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Definition of retracting
Verb
  • Mark Ford Rosemary Tonks emulated French Symbolist poets before converting to Christianity and renouncing all her own works.
    — The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • Corbett, of Palatine, announced his independent candidacy days after renouncing the current state of the Republican Party and dropping his consulting business work with GOP contenders.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026
Definition of renouncing
Verb
  • After intervening in 1976 under President Hafez al-Assad, Syria’s military remained in Lebanon for 29 years, finally withdrawing in 2005 under Hafez’s son and successor Bashar.
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • Cordes and Haake are keen and tense, their hands raised, but Hasnie has relaxed, withdrawing briefly into her thoughts.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
Definition of withdrawing
Verb
  • In the early 1930s, the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times correspondent Walter Duranty wrote stories denying the famine that Joseph Stalin’s forced-collectivization policies were causing in Ukraine and mocked journalists who reported the truth.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
  • Human rights groups have accused Iranian authorities of denying defendants due process, relying on coerced confessions and carrying out executions after unfair trials.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of denying
Verb
  • The last few months have seen rumors which have been hard to keep up with, with claim and counter-claim contradicting each other.
    — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • However, as the day unfolds, Venus will align with Saturn in a contradicting quincunx, complicating matters related to affection, money and obligation.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
Definition of contradicting

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Cite this Entry

“Recanting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recanting. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on recanting

Nglish: Translation of recanting for Spanish Speakers

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