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
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.
The salary aprons will bring the top teams back down in a season or so. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 12 May 2025 He was sent back down to Triple-A after some early struggles. Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 May 2025 Now, new findings show that Ansky flares in X-rays roughly every four-and-a-half days, and that each flare lasts one-and-a-half days before dying back down and waiting for the cycle to begin again. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 May 2025 The president appeared to back down from that threat, however, after a sharp drop in the stock market last month. Scott Horsley, NPR, 7 May 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20down. Accessed 17 May. 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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