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

As a result, doubts are surfacing in Canberra, where officials are concerned Trump will renege on the deal negotiated by his predecessor Joe Biden. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 18 June 2025

The moves have provoked backlash from China, which views Washington’s decisions as reneging on its trade promises. —John Liu, CNN Money, 9 June 2025

Workers are seeking better wages, better staffing levels, affordable health care and a reliable pension, Cordova said, adding that union proposals have been rejected or ignored and earlier agreements reneged on. —Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 6 June 2025

Money from the Guggenheim Foundation enabled Moore to sign a contract for a translation of all twelve books of Jean de La Fontaine’s Fables (1668-94) without accepting an advance, but her mother’s death intervened and then the publisher reneged on the contract. —Susan Gubar june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin renegare

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for renege

• big
• brig
• brigg
• dig
• fig
• gig
• jig
• mig
• pig
• prig
• rig
• sprig

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