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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of back down
Fitzgerald sent down To make room for Chapman, the Giants sent Tyler Fitzgerald back down to Sacramento.
—
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2025
That’s a considerable amount, but even the moon’s low gravity would pull most of the material back down to the surface; 99.8 percent or more of the debris wouldn’t have enough speed to escape.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2025
Council is playing politics, mayor says Borowsky refused to back down in response to the accusations, framing them as attacks against public input.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Trump backs down on threats of 250% tariffs on some European Union products
The Trump administration agreed to limit tariffs on pharmaceuticals, lumber and semiconductors imported from the European Union to 15%, according to a new framework trade agreement.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2025
That’s a considerable amount, but even the moon’s low gravity would pull most of the material back down to the surface; 99.8 percent or more of the debris wouldn’t have enough speed to escape.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2025
Council is playing politics, mayor says Borowsky refused to back down in response to the accusations, framing them as attacks against public input.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Trump backs down on threats of 250% tariffs on some European Union products
The Trump administration agreed to limit tariffs on pharmaceuticals, lumber and semiconductors imported from the European Union to 15%, according to a new framework trade agreement.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down
Verb
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Eight selective colleges signed on last spring to accept Dialogues portfolios as part of a pilot project, but two of them — Vanderbilt University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — backed out in July.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
28 Aug. 2025
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Pull the zip back out and remove and dispose of any hair or other materials that are caught on the teeth.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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While there are specific reasons why Yucca Valley's homes are losing value—including the fact that the profitability of the short-term rental market has fallen in recent years, leading many investors to back off the area— the city reflects a nationwide shift toward buyers.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
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Up next, is Elon Musk already backing off his promise to launch a third party?—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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On Thursday, there were 652 officers on the force, with nearly 100 cops out on some kind of administrative or medical leave.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Aug. 2025
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But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors.—
Maris Kreizman,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Verb
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The situation recalls San Diego’s struggles to shut down hundreds of unlicensed cannabis storefronts as the city began permitting legal dispensaries for the first time in 2014.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Aug. 2025
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Jackson County Executive Frank White shared this week that health concerns played a role in his decision to step down at the end of his term and not to run again for his seat in 2026, regardless of the results of an upcoming election to recall him.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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