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
For all the fun and disruption, the commitment to elite sport itself never felt reneged.
—
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 1 June 2026
People made clear that the story of Colorado becoming a state should include talk of the Sand Creek massacre and other atrocities, treaties reneged on and the treatment of children at Indian boarding schools.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
But that’s precisely the commitment that American leaders have reneged on.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
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
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 1 June 2026
People made clear that the story of Colorado becoming a state should include talk of the Sand Creek massacre and other atrocities, treaties reneged on and the treatment of children at Indian boarding schools.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
But that’s precisely the commitment that American leaders have reneged on.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reneged
Verb
-
Trump withdrew from the JCPOA agreement in 2018, during his first term as president.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
The Arkansas Department of Education first released a set of draft rules in November but withdrew them after the proposal drew hundreds of critical comments from parents and others for being too restrictive.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2026
Verb
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What follows are dozens of examples of how those whose names are familiar (or aren’t) and legendary (or infamous) for their actions while representing the state have been embraced (or renounced) by the rest of the country and beyond.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
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She’s since voted to block military aid to Israel and renounced the group.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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In a corresponding move, the Dodgers recalled right-hander Chayce McDermott.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
The Crips and Bloods reached the apex of their Stockton influence in the 1980s and 1990s, Washington recalled, as the concept of fast money dawned along with the crack cocaine epidemic.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
21 June 2026
Verb
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One of his Greenlandic colleagues offered his own thoughts, then similarly retracted, lest his assertions affect Greenland’s new position of leverage.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
The farm retracted those statements five days later, but continued to dispute the cause of the outbreak and contest the agency’s findings.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Iran backed out of Friday’s talks after Israel attacked Hezbollah overnight Wednesday, three unnamed diplomats told The New York Times.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Franco was supposed to be on an X Space Sunday night, but backed out.—
Adam Sabes , CB Cotton,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Then multiple states filed lawsuits alleging the agency failed to conduct proper environmental reviews, which DHS denied.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
-
The band had been denied the opportunity to perform during Haiti’s pre-World Cup friendly against Peru, despite the presence of a Peruvian band.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
Verb
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Syria then did and Obama backed off a military response.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
Bessent backed off the idea amid criticism.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
Verb
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This recognition contradicted almost two centuries of Colonial practice, making it among the most radical achievements of the founding era.—
Peter C. Mancall,
The Conversation,
24 June 2026
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Some reported a few dozen microbe types, others more than 900, and one company even contradicted itself on the same sample.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reneged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reneged. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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