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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 reneged
Well, Hamas promised to do it and reneged.
—
CBS News, 10 May 2026
And though the president reneged on an initiative to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz hours after Rubio touted it to the press, Rubio's performance elicited largely rave reviews on the political right.
—Justin Papp, CNBC, 6 May 2026
None of that happens if Lesch’s shoulder had held on or if the Dodgers had reneged on their deal.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Bruce Blakeman, a Long Island Republican county executive who is challenging Hochul, said the governor reneged on her promise not to levy new taxes.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
At time of writing, Iran has reneged on reopening the Strait of Hormuz owing to Israeli strikes on Lebanon, where at least 254 people were killed on Wednesday, according to Lebanon’s Civil Defence, marking the deadliest day of the entire conflict.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Apr. 2026
Lawyers for former Angels communications director Eric Kay say the team has reneged on its promise to pay Kay’s legal fees from the Tyler Skaggs case.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
However, Altenar says that agreement never materialized, and Sportradar reneged on the promise.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Apr. 2026
An agreement made by one administration could be reneged on by the next.
—Debak Das, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026
CBS News, 10 May 2026
And though the president reneged on an initiative to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz hours after Rubio touted it to the press, Rubio's performance elicited largely rave reviews on the political right.
—Justin Papp, CNBC, 6 May 2026
None of that happens if Lesch’s shoulder had held on or if the Dodgers had reneged on their deal.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Bruce Blakeman, a Long Island Republican county executive who is challenging Hochul, said the governor reneged on her promise not to levy new taxes.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
At time of writing, Iran has reneged on reopening the Strait of Hormuz owing to Israeli strikes on Lebanon, where at least 254 people were killed on Wednesday, according to Lebanon’s Civil Defence, marking the deadliest day of the entire conflict.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Apr. 2026
Lawyers for former Angels communications director Eric Kay say the team has reneged on its promise to pay Kay’s legal fees from the Tyler Skaggs case.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
However, Altenar says that agreement never materialized, and Sportradar reneged on the promise.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Apr. 2026
An agreement made by one administration could be reneged on by the next.
—Debak Das, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reneged
Verb
-
Days after four Republican candidates withdrew from the upcoming Platte County election and launched independent campaigns, the county’s Republican committee announced plans to censure those candidates and deem them unwelcome within the party.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
-
Polling from March shows Becerra with just 3% of the vote, indicating a 7-point increase for Becerra between then and Emerson’s most recent survey, conducted right after Swalwell withdrew.—
Douglas Schoen,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Philip Fong | Afp | Getty Images Japan renounced war under Article 9 of its post-World War II pacifist constitution.—
Sam Meredith,Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
-
President Ahmed al-Sharaa is a one-time al-Qaeda commander who renounced the ideology before taking power.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mitchell Gaff opened the door wearing pajama pants, welcomed the trio into his house and agreed to a taste test, sampling different sticks of gum with enthusiasm, Logothetti recalled of the January 2024 encounter.—
Nina Giraldo,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
-
Witness and boat charter Patrick Lee recalled the incident while speaking with CBS News.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
The report was retracted in a separate tweet, but that didn’t stop the internet, which never sleeps.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Although the chapter had been peer reviewed and approved by the Federal Judicial Center, as well as by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the center retracted the climate chapter in February.—
Abrahm Lustgarten,
ProPublica,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The creators of Conan the Barbarian (1982), with whom Mattel had a contract to create a Conan toy line before the toy company backed out, sued Mattel in 1984.—
Sanat Pai RaikarAll,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
-
But the seller backed out of the deal.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Clemente first denied drinking but later admitted to consuming alcohol.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Vinicius Jr had alleged that Prestianni had racially abused him, which Prestianni denied on social media.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The administration backed off ending the government conservatorship of the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
-
Officers briefly chased the suspect through Highland Park, but backed off.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The reasoning, which contradicted every previous Supreme Court decision on segregation, cited the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
-
Prosecutors, however, argued that the position of his deceased body and the distance from which the shot was fired contradicted her account.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reneged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reneged. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
