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 retracted
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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Recent Examples of reneged
Only, his side of the story suggests that this summer was the boiling point of a longer game, dating back to last summer when contract promises were reneged upon.
—
Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
In a video shared on X by a user who identified himself as Phillips’ best friend, the gift-giving moment went viral, and prompted commenters to call into question why the team reneged on the PS5.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024
Trudeau won successive elections in 2019 and 2021, but his popularity has steadily declined since as Canadians have become frustrated with political scandals, reneged promises and the economy, among other issues.
—Lex Harvey, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Musk then reneged on the Twitter sitter thing.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
After Assad launched a shocking mass chemical weapons strike on Syrian civilians in 2013, in which more than 1,400 people were killed, former President Obama’s administration reneged on its promise to take military action against Assad.
—Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 8 Dec. 2024
The judge did, however, find that Taylor reneged on the terms of the divorce agreement, citing a video uploaded to social media earlier this year.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
In April, after succumbing to pressure from his core supporters, Netanyahu reneged on a deal with the United Nations to absorb African migrants from other Western countries.
—Shalom Lipner, Foreign Affairs, 26 Apr. 2018
Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
In a video shared on X by a user who identified himself as Phillips’ best friend, the gift-giving moment went viral, and prompted commenters to call into question why the team reneged on the PS5.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024
Trudeau won successive elections in 2019 and 2021, but his popularity has steadily declined since as Canadians have become frustrated with political scandals, reneged promises and the economy, among other issues.
—Lex Harvey, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Musk then reneged on the Twitter sitter thing.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
After Assad launched a shocking mass chemical weapons strike on Syrian civilians in 2013, in which more than 1,400 people were killed, former President Obama’s administration reneged on its promise to take military action against Assad.
—Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 8 Dec. 2024
The judge did, however, find that Taylor reneged on the terms of the divorce agreement, citing a video uploaded to social media earlier this year.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
In April, after succumbing to pressure from his core supporters, Netanyahu reneged on a deal with the United Nations to absorb African migrants from other Western countries.
—Shalom Lipner, Foreign Affairs, 26 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reneged
Verb
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The shake-up came a week after the Ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas withdrew from the coalition in protest over the failure to pass legislation exempting Haredi men from military service.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The Times/Siena poll suggested that if both Adams and Sliwa withdrew, Mamdani’s advantage over Cuomo could shrink even further.—
Philip Marcelo,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The proposal, which has been enacted in Utah, Virginia and Washington, would allow a person to place themselves on the list for at least a year — a decision that could be renewed or retracted after a 48-hour waiting period.—
Jessie Opoien,
jsonline.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The Times said the report was ultimately retracted to protect Grenell, which is frequently done to preserve the identity of Americans in intelligence reports.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Townshend recalled performing in Chicago at a small club turned roller rink called the Kinetic Playground, 1969 performances with a particularly special opening act.—
Jim Ryan,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Sanders denies his company made tianeptine products, though another former employee also claims in court documents that Shaman Botanicals sold tianeptine, and FDA reports reviewed by The Star list Shaman Botanicals as a distributor of a tianeptine product that was later recalled.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Lee also renounced any concept of gender roles, longing for full social equality regardless of gender or race.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
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Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring Taipei under its control.—
Jan Camenzind Broomby,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On Thursday, in a unanimous vote, the Kansas City City Council voted to do away with the 130-foot height restriction on the parcel where a new Nordstrom department store had once been planned, before the company backed out in 2022.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
12 Sep. 2025
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Quintana said some organizations and companies backed out of sponsorships or being part of the march this year.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Her lawsuit denied the charges but did not provide more details.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
10 Sep. 2025
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The doctor spent more than 1,300 days incarcerated while repeatedly denied bail.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Still, Allen-Green’s group backed off and began formulating other plans without any closures.—
Mila Koumpilova,
ProPublica,
9 Sep. 2025
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This action plan backed off significantly from that position.—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But this stereotype is contradicted by the research, which shows that coming from a low-income family actually increases the risk of developing these illnesses.—
Oona Hanson,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
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Holmes likewise discredited the MS-13 accusation, for which prosecutors relied on the testimony of coöperating witnesses who either contradicted one another or were otherwise unreliable.—
Cristian Farias,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reneged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reneged. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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