back down

verb

backed down; backing down; backs down
Synonyms of back downnext

intransitive verb

: to withdraw from a commitment or position

Examples of back down in a Sentence

if you back down about dinner again, I'm not going to agree to another date
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Physics students learn about the basic stuff of reality—space and time, energy and matter—and are told that all other scientific disciplines must reduce back down to the fundamental particles and laws that physics has generated. Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025 Hilly neighborhood streets coated with snow and ice are challenging drivers, with some cars having to back down hills, unable to tackle the incline. Dan Snyder, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025 But Alexis wasn’t backing down. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 12 Dec. 2025 So far, Takaichi has not backed down. Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for back down

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of back down was in 1849

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Cite this Entry

“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20down. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

back down

verb
: to retreat from a stand one has taken or from a challenge one has accepted

More from Merriam-Webster on back down

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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