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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of reneging
The lawsuit filed last month by Moriarty and the state accuses the federal government of reneging on its promise to cooperate with state investigations after the surge of some 3,000 federal law enforcement officers into Minnesota.
—
Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
The lawsuit accuses the federal government of reneging on its promise to cooperate with state investigations after the surge of around 3,000 federal law enforcement officers into Minnesota.
—Mark Vancleave, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
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
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
Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
The lawsuit accuses the federal government of reneging on its promise to cooperate with state investigations after the surge of around 3,000 federal law enforcement officers into Minnesota.
—Mark Vancleave, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reneging
Verb
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Slovenia began preemptively withdrawing all HiPP products from shelves of Spar and other supermarkets, its health inspectorate said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
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After withdrawing their endorsement of Swalwell, the California Teacher’s Association put its support behind Steyer, a sure blow to Porter, who has also sought to win the support of unions.—
Douglas Schoen,
Oc Register,
17 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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The installation will also include tables in wood and yellow lacquer with bases recalling the silhouette of the Colonia bottle, paired with metal chairs shaped with arches that echo the brand’s retail codes.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
20 Apr. 2026
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In the present day, Aunt Lydia is writing down her life story and recalling the early days of Gilead.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Self-retracting nozzles are the most hygienic.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
-
Investigators say Horner accidentally struck the child with his delivery truck while backing out of the driveway.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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His complaint alleged that the state’s actions had left him with a financial burden of more than $20,000 per year by denying the vouchers to both of his children.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
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Pressed by rival camps, pursued by the political press corps, the claims were largely confined to unvetted corners of the internet until this week, when Swalwell’s campaign — knowing the whispers were getting louder — issued a public statement denying any wrongdoing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Senators aren’t backing down in the face of playing Carolina, seeking to build off losing to Toronto in six games in the first round last year.—
John Wawrow,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
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Trump has pushed back on the notion of backing down, framing his brinkmanship as a savvy negotiating tactic.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While Washington’s policies drive prices up, our state has lowered costs where the state has jurisdiction — by repealing the grocery tax and capping child care expenses.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
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The four measures passed by nearly 2-to-1 ratios, with nearly 14,000 votes in favor of repealing each ordinance and approximately 7,500 votes to keep them.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reneging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reneging. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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