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 Now with Jane Doe recanting her claims, Carter’s attorneys have filed a notice to the judge, dismissing all claims against her — though their case against her former attorney, Buzbee, still stands. — Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2026 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 Republican governor, who has aggressively used the death penalty in his final term, signed a letter Thursday withdrawing the death warrant for William Lee Thompson.
    — David Fischer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Despite receiving several reports of John and Thompson being seen on security camera footage and John withdrawing money from an ATM, police were unable to locate them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of withdrawing
Verb
  • Russian forces are also trying to choke shipping in Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, denying Kyiv vital grain export revenue.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • There’s no denying that Nothing knows how to make eye-catching headphones.
    — Brad Bourque, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of denying
Verb
  • Additionally, bodycam video from Austin police officers who responded shows officers assisting him out of the vehicle rather than pulling him out, contradicting Goldfinch's claim.
    — Louis Casiano , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The state of the animal in estrus is actually really contradicting, which resonated with me.
    — Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 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 11 Oct. 2026.

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