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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Lawyers for the former Penn State assistant football coach told a court that one of his victims signed an affidavit recanting his testimony, court documents say. — Dan Snyder, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 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
  • Vivo and Oppo phones have relied on various gimmicks, like smaller gimbals and pop-out lenses, to improve camera performance, though not to the extent of a physically retracting gimbal.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The remote control has mixed reviews, with this seemingly retracting from its otherwise glowing reviews.
    — Tantse Walter, Space.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of retracting
Verb
  • Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said every actor in Hong Kong civil society who assumed that renouncing violence and working within the law would be fine has to revise that assumption.
    — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • That starts with renouncing the use of military intervention as a first resort and ending the practice of diplomacy by airstrike.
    — MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of renouncing
Verb
  • The White House did not give a reason for withdrawing Schroyer's nomination.
    — Luke Barr, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Kraft rallied together several other stadium owners into withdrawing their venues from the tour if Macklemore had been allowed to perform.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of withdrawing
Verb
  • This creates a clear boundary without denying employees access to the technology altogether.
    — David Matalon, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • According to the plaintiffs’ legal team, the USAA policy violates state law by denying qualified drivers access to the lowest premiums.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of denying
Verb
  • Prosecutors say Castro briefly struggled with Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, then fired through a front door into an occupied home, hitting him in the leg, contradicting earlier federal accounts.
    — Valerie Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Finally, leaders who have inconsistent messaging—giving one instruction today and contradicting it tomorrow—create confusion, frustration and uncertainty.
    — Don Weber, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of contradicting

Browse Nearby Words

recanted
recanting
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Cite this Entry

“Recanting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recanting. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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