1
as in withdrew
to break a promise or agreement
my so-called best friend promised to help me move, only to renege come Saturday morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in renounced
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to)
refused to renege the principles by which she had always lived her life, even if it resulted in losing her business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of reneged
Moy claims that Christian reneged on the deal, however.
—
Gary Graff, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2026
State prosecutors want the state trial first to avoid double jeopardy issues under New York law after federal prosecutors reneged on prior agreements.
—Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Jason Lust claims the company reneged on the terms of a 2015 settlement guaranteeing him profit participation and executive producer billing on Pinocchio, Fraggle Rock and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
When the president reneged on his Greenland-tariff plan last week, markets steadied.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
The secretary quickly reneged on the commitments.
—Grayson Logue, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
After season one premiered, Amazon reneged on its two-season pickup for reasons that are financially understandable but a terrible blow to the making of art.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Merit filed for Chapter 11 in July, amid financial problems and alleging that TBN had reneged on more than $100 million of financial responsibilities.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Netanyahu also said Israel would not hesitate to restart its military campaign against Hamas if the militant group refused the deal or reneged on the terms of the agreement.
—Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2025
Gary Graff, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2026
State prosecutors want the state trial first to avoid double jeopardy issues under New York law after federal prosecutors reneged on prior agreements.
—Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Jason Lust claims the company reneged on the terms of a 2015 settlement guaranteeing him profit participation and executive producer billing on Pinocchio, Fraggle Rock and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
When the president reneged on his Greenland-tariff plan last week, markets steadied.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
The secretary quickly reneged on the commitments.
—Grayson Logue, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
After season one premiered, Amazon reneged on its two-season pickup for reasons that are financially understandable but a terrible blow to the making of art.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Merit filed for Chapter 11 in July, amid financial problems and alleging that TBN had reneged on more than $100 million of financial responsibilities.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Netanyahu also said Israel would not hesitate to restart its military campaign against Hamas if the militant group refused the deal or reneged on the terms of the agreement.
—Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reneged
Verb
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But according to the university, the program will not move forward as scheduled, after Weiss’ team withdrew from the event.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Focusing on Mental Health Everything changed when a 24-year-old Simone Biles withdrew from the finals during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, mentioning her mental health struggles.—
Kristy Alpert,
Outside,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Gaetano Milano, a sharpshooting young gangster who renounced the mafia and experienced a religious rebirth after gunning down one of New England’s most ruthless mob bosses, died early this week.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
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Born rich, yet sought a life of poverty Born into a merchant family in the Umbrian town of Assisi, in present-day Italy, around 1181, Francis famously renounced his family’s wealth.—
Vanessa Corcoran,
The Conversation,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Lyman recalled a massive weekend in Long Beach with 80,000 attendees that resulted in only one arrest—a drunk fan who took Ice-T’s lyrics too literally and started shouting at the police.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
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But Johnson recalled how in 2024 Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed undocumented people to work at public universities, rankling activists.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The strongback support has retracted for launch.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Warsama traces the issue back more than a decade, when discredited researcher Andrew Wakefield published his study — since retracted — claiming a link between autism and the MMR vaccine.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The night began with boisterous boos during the pregame introduction of a player who backed out on a deal to return to the Bears for his sophomore season.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
In Oklahoma City, after several protests and a packed city council meeting, a company that had planned to sell its warehouse to ICE backed out of the deal – a move cheered by Republican Mayor David Holt.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Along the way, people both inside and outside the union have labeled Meyer as a puppet of powerful agent Scott Boras, a charge both Boras and Meyer have vigorously denied.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Yoon, who can appeal the ruling, had denied the insurrection charge, saying his imposition of martial law was meant to alert the public to paralysing political gridlock caused by the opposition party’s majority in the National Assembly and its impeachment of several senior officials.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Boston Celtics also retreated with their interest, while the Timberwolves, after showing a willingness to offer two second-round picks for Ellis, backed off as their Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit ramped up and became the priority.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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But the president backed off after appeals from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and tech executives, including Marc Benioff, the Salesforce CEO whose family name is attached to the Oakland children’s hospital.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Federal prosecutors dropped charges against two Venezuelan men — who had been accused of attacking one of the officers with a snow shovel and broom handle — after video evidence contradicted the officers’ sworn testimony.—
Jim Mustian,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
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Several videos from the scene contradicted McLaughlin’s public statements.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reneged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reneged. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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