1
as in withdrawing
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 renouncing
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 reneging
The mayor of Hammond, Indiana, says train company Norfolk Southern is reneging on a promise to partly finance the construction of a pedestrian overpass at a dangerous rail crossing that was the subject of a ProPublica investigation.
—
Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit accuses Shell of reneging on a deal involving a TV show but tells a much broader story of the government influencing Paramount’s business dealings.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
Kallas said reneging on that goes against EU treaties.
—Sam McNeil, Arkansas Online, 24 Feb. 2026
Kallas said reneging on that goes against the EU treaties.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
In a time when the message from Washington is to double down on fossil fuel use, Northeast governors are reneging on climate commitments.
—Susan Moynihan, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
Binance, however, appears to be reneging on its promise.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
But Republicans reject the idea of reopening months of bipartisan negotiations and argue that Democrats are reneging on a deal their own appropriators helped write, which also passed the House last week, before the shooting in Minneapolis.
—Nik Popli, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
Then there’s complicity in the Gaza genocide, reneging on promises to address unequal pensions for British women, etc.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit accuses Shell of reneging on a deal involving a TV show but tells a much broader story of the government influencing Paramount’s business dealings.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
Kallas said reneging on that goes against EU treaties.
—Sam McNeil, Arkansas Online, 24 Feb. 2026
Kallas said reneging on that goes against the EU treaties.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
In a time when the message from Washington is to double down on fossil fuel use, Northeast governors are reneging on climate commitments.
—Susan Moynihan, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
Binance, however, appears to be reneging on its promise.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
But Republicans reject the idea of reopening months of bipartisan negotiations and argue that Democrats are reneging on a deal their own appropriators helped write, which also passed the House last week, before the shooting in Minneapolis.
—Nik Popli, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
Then there’s complicity in the Gaza genocide, reneging on promises to address unequal pensions for British women, etc.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reneging
Verb
-
Scheffler, who tends to keep his golf separate from his home life, had not shared any information since withdrawing from the Houston Open two weeks ago because of the impending birth of his second child.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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However, legislation passed under the previous Biden administration in December 2023 would prevent any president from withdrawing the United States from NATO without two-thirds approval from the Senate or an Act of Congress.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Returning to the guitars that characterized the band’s earliest work without renouncing their latter-day synths, MacFarlane gives Graham’s ruminations an urgent tenderness.—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
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The association filed several lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the fee, including one that remains pending that argues there should be no cost for renouncing one’s citizenship.—
Matthew Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wawa is recalling four of its 16-ounce drinks sold across five states, including the Philadelphia area, due to a possible undeclared milk allergen.—
Frederick Sutton Sinclair,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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The backlogs are real for these clinics, Soni said, recalling one GI clinic that had a backlog of six months, and 4,000 procedures that were waiting to be scheduled, representing millions in revenue.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The ruthlessness of the producers cutting folk off mid-speech or retracting the microphone and upping the music volume was belittling to those on stage.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2026
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The actress has no interest in retracting her comments.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Florida and Texas metros with the highest share of stale listings are all solid buyer’s markets, where buyers have the upper hand over sellers and can negotiate lower prices as well as backing out of unfavorable deals.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Buyers are also increasingly backing out of deals, rather than settling for homes that may not be the perfect fit.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Insurance kept denying me anyway.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Chawinga is known for her help-defense — denying passes to players in those spaces, or even closing down the player sending in such crosses.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tehran shows no signs of backing down.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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Iran, meanwhile, gave no signs of backing down.—
David Rising,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a statement, the Stop Aurora Pit Bull Ban Team, a group that advocated for repealing the city's breed-specific ban, urged caution in drawing conclusions about the incident.—
Tori Mason,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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The president has gone so far as repealing a longtime scientific finding that climate change endangers public health and the environment.—
Matthew Daly,
San Antonio Express-News,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reneging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reneging. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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