as in to back out
to break a promise or agreement
if you back down about dinner again, I'm not going to agree to another date
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Examples of back down in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
Companies such as Airbus have worked on nets and harpoons that can wrap around or impale objects in space and bring them back down through the atmosphere.
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Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2024
Getting the bike back down again involves just grabbing it by the bottoms of its wheels and pulling it downward.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2024
The sight of a shark or ray leaping out of the water, soaring through the air, and splashing back down is an unforgettable experience.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Hike back down the Beach Trail from the visitors center through chaparral and sandy bluffs to the shore at Flat Rock, where rain has eroded deep arroyos into the 300-foot sandstone escarpments.
—Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for back down 
Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2024
Getting the bike back down again involves just grabbing it by the bottoms of its wheels and pulling it downward.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2024
The sight of a shark or ray leaping out of the water, soaring through the air, and splashing back down is an unforgettable experience.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Hike back down the Beach Trail from the visitors center through chaparral and sandy bluffs to the shore at Flat Rock, where rain has eroded deep arroyos into the 300-foot sandstone escarpments.
—Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for back down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down
Verb
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Cayden Addison, a seven-year-old Black boy battling a rare form Philadelphia chromosome acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), has had two donors back out on him.Pia Velasco, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2024
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The man seemingly backed out of the parking to prevent his license plate number from being captured.Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Prosecutors asked the grand jury to back off after jurors considered indicting him. Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237.Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2024
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At the last minute, major Venezuelan officials backed off the ledge.Zach Dorfman, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about?Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 22 July 2024
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He was walked by cops out of the 105th Precinct in handcuffs Thursday morning and later arraigned in Queens Criminal Supreme Court on murder charges.Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 30 May 2024
Verb
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According to The Korea Times, in July 2024 Beijing demanded that Pyongyang recall North Korean workers in China—numbered in the tens of thousands—so that China could comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2937, which called for the repatriation of North Korean laborers.Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
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Viewed from the rear three-quarter angle, the Vanquish recalls an arrow, drawn from its quiver and aimed at the target.Dan Carney, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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