renege

verb

re·​nege ri-ˈneg 

 also  -ˈnāg,

-ˈnig;

rē- 

reneged; reneging

intransitive verb

1

: to go back on a promise or commitment

2

: revoke

3

obsolete : to make a denial

transitive verb

: deny, renounce

reneger noun

Synonyms

• back down
• back off
• back out
• cop out
• fink out

Examples of renege in a Sentence

They had promised to pay her tuition but later reneged.

my so-called best friend promised to help me move, only to renege come Saturday morning

Recent Examples on the Web

But Maduro reneged on the agreement and instead cracked down on his critics, detaining political opponents and human rights defenders, disqualifying opposition candidates and prosecuting critics on politically motivated charges. —Tirana Hassan, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024

However, their friendship begins to fall apart when Jong-ryeo’s family reneges on their promise to set Cheon-yeong free. —Regina Kim, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024

The case is one of many accusing Musk of reneging on promises to former Twitter employees, including former Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, and vendors after buying the company for $44 billion in October 2022. —CNN, 10 July 2024

Cheon-yeong expects his freedom in return, but Jong Ryeo’s father reneges on the deal. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin renegare

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

renege

verb

re·​nege ri-ˈnig  -ˈneg 

-ˈnēg,

-ˈnāg

reneged; reneging

1

: deny

2

: to go back on a promise or agreement

reneged on paying the debt

reneger noun