reneged

verb

past tense of renege
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

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reneged
  1. withdrew
  2. renounced
  3. recalled
  4. retracted
  5. backed out
  6. denied
  7. backed off
  8. contradicted
Verb
  • The appearance came several months after Roy withdrew from the Berlin Film Festival over its refusal to comment on Gaza.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 July 2026
  • That overperformance by the Democratic candidate held true in every state polled other than Maine, where the poll was conducted before Graham Platner withdrew from the race following a rape accusation.
    — Caroline Soler, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of withdrew
Verb
  • 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, 13 July 2026
  • Spiritually, His Holiness is an emanation, or tulku, of the bodhisattva Chenrezig, who renounced nirvana to help mankind.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026
Definition of renounced
Verb
  • Supplier Taylor Farms de Mexico has recalled iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the US market.
    — Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • Moss recalled a bass fishing trip last fall when his son accidentally hooked Brooke in the shoulder while fish were busting on the surface in front of them.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of recalled
Verb
  • Over the weekend, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a positive lettuce test, then retracted it a day later as a false positive.
    — Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Anthony Volpe had to defend his character after the team’s play-by-play man, Michael Kay, retracted unfounded claims about the shortdtop’s unwillingness to play second base.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 July 2026
Definition of retracted
Verb
  • But Netflix backed out of the bidding in February after Paramount upped its takeout offer for all of WBD in a deal worth $111 billion.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 13 July 2026
  • The Guerreros had gone to the fair’s opening ceremony to hear the President, whose rally-style speech substituted for the slew of musical artists who had backed out after learning of the event’s partisan origins.
    — Andrew Trunsky, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
Definition of backed out
Verb
  • The Tate brothers have also denied the charges in the cases in Romania.
    — Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • The Tate brothers have consistently denied allegations of abuse and human trafficking, claiming that violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.
    — Alanna Durkin Richer, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
Definition of denied
Verb
  • The officers backed off after firing and could see McAlpin was still moving inside the vehicle.
    — Harry Harris, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
  • The Dolphins’ starting inside linebacker never backed off that claim, and never apologized for it either.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
Definition of backed off
Verb
  • His views are contradicted by scores of studies showing vaccines have saved millions of lives and prevented long-term health problems from common diseases, while side-effects remain relatively rare.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • Importantly, Trump’s announcement on Monday also contradicted pledges by some of his top officials not to charge tolls in the strait.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of contradicted

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Cite this Entry

“Reneged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reneged. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of reneged for Spanish Speakers

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