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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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
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Mickelson, who turns 56 next week, withdrew from professional golf this year because of family health reasons, last playing at the LIV Golf South Africa in March.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
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In April 2025, just days after the federal court hearing, the LA County Board of Supervisors withdrew hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for LAHSA, opting to create a new county-run agency for homeless services.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
12 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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Scott Wagers, a recipient of 10 Little Caesars pizzas that were given out on behalf of CHAM Deliverance Ministry, a local charity that feeds the homeless, recalled being shocked that the athlete showed up to deliver the food himself.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
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No lots of Nara Organics Powdered Infant Formula have tested positive for Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that causes infant botulism, according to the FDA, but all whole milk infant powdered formula products are being recalled voluntarily by the company.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
Verb
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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
-
One of the few major studies that purported ChatGPT improved learning performance was retracted last month.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Investors pulled funds from FTX, including Binance, which backed out of a deal to buy FTX.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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Delrahim blames merger concerns on fear-mongering, antisemitism Although Netflix backed out of its deal to buy Paramount in February, Delrahim believes Netflix is trying to turn people against Paramount buying WBD.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The guilty plea was a stunning reversal for Heuermann who, according to his lawyer, tearfully denied being responsible for the killings after his arrest in 2023.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
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The court filings said that Roa denied any involvement in the conspiracy.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The captain backed off, but Curry never forgot the look in his eyes, or the venom in his voice.—
Clint Smith,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
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The driver cut through busy intersections even though officers backed off ground units.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Verb
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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,
17 June 2026
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However, other testimonies contradicted that claim and stated that Wacasey had custody of Trey following their 2017 divorce.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reneged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reneged. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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