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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Recent Examples of back down
The first-stage booster for the flight is making its second trip to space, but will be the first to touch back down at SpaceX’s new landing pad constructed alongside the launch tower at SLC-40, and could bring a sonic boom to parts of Central Florida.
—
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
But some fashion firms also don’t plan on backing down from their diversity efforts.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 5 Feb. 2026
Run ceiling fans clockwise to push warm air back down.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
Then, when a wildfire comes through and natives begin to regrow, they’re chomped back down, creating a vicious cycle.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back down
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
But some fashion firms also don’t plan on backing down from their diversity efforts.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 5 Feb. 2026
Run ceiling fans clockwise to push warm air back down.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
Then, when a wildfire comes through and natives begin to regrow, they’re chomped back down, creating a vicious cycle.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down
Verb
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In Oklahoma City, after several protests and a packed city council meeting, a company that had planned to sell its warehouse to ICE backed out of the deal – a move cheered by Republican Mayor David Holt.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
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By 2025, average maturities had maturities had stretched back out to 71 months.—
Daniel J. Arbess,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But a large number of job gains might make Federal Reserve policymakers back off any further interest-rate cuts this year.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Since then, the White House has been negotiating with its trading partners, backing off on some of the more aggressive charges while maintaining tough talk on issues.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
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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For Dallas’ Black community in the late 1950s through the 1960s, the Forest Theater was the place to see and be seen, recalls Shirley Rhodes, an 80-year-old South Dallas native who spent Saturdays there during her childhood while engrossed in the cinematic offerings.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-day government shutdown that led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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