back down

verb

backed down; backing down; backs down

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Stock market surges on Election Day Prices Inflation has bedeviled the U.S. for the past several years -- but in recent months price increases have slowed back down to a normal pace. Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024 Squeeze the upper back at the top of the position before lowering back down. Leoni Jesner, Health, 4 Nov. 2024 And why did the U.S. do better than any other advanced economy in bringing inflation back down? Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024 Instead of sending yourself back down that road again, this month will offer you temptation beyond your wildest dreams. Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Nov. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near back down

Cite this Entry

“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20down. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

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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