backslide

verb

back·​slide ˈbak-ˌslīd How to pronounce backslide (audio)
backslid ˈbak-ˌslid How to pronounce backslide (audio) ; backslid or backslidden ˈbak-ˌsli-dᵊn How to pronounce backslide (audio) ; backsliding ˈbak-ˌslī-diŋ How to pronounce backslide (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to lapse morally or in the practice of religion
2
: to revert to a worse condition : retrogress
backslide noun
backslider noun

Examples of backslide in a Sentence

Smokers who quit often backslide within a year.
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.
Whereas our years-long love for the aesthetics of the 1990s just felt like nostalgia, the timing of the 2000s coming back post-election feels more like backsliding. Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, 25 Nov. 2024 Corporate giants and some countries are backsliding on their climate commitments — a worrying sign in a year that otherwise saw hopeful growth in renewables, Al Gore and his investment colleagues say in a new report from Generation Investment Management. Andrew Freedman, Axios, 17 Sep. 2024 That warning and the new report both come amid fears the U.S. will backslide on its climate commitments and pull out of the Paris Agreement after Donald Trump takes office in January. Evan Bush, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024 That same month, Senegal reversed democratic backsliding with an opposition presidential victory by 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye, after two-term incumbent president Macky Sall failed to lift term limits. Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for backslide 

Word History

First Known Use

1554, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of backslide was in 1554

Dictionary Entries Near backslide

Cite this Entry

“Backslide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backslide. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

backslide

verb
back·​slide ˈbak-ˌslīd How to pronounce backslide (audio)
backslid -ˌslid How to pronounce backslide (audio) ; backslid or backslidden -ˌslid-ᵊn How to pronounce backslide (audio) ; backsliding -ˌslīd-iŋ How to pronounce backslide (audio)
1
: to go back to a less religious or less moral condition
2
: to go back to a worse condition
backslide noun
backslider noun

More from Merriam-Webster on backslide

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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