BACK DOWN Synonyms: 32 Similar and Opposite Words

back down

verb

Definition of back down

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of back down Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter isn’t backing down after the WNBA team ejected former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom from Sunday’s game against the Indiana Fever. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 With neither side backing down, Cancian expects the conflict will drag on well past the midterm elections in November. — Steve Walsh, NPR, 24 Aug. 2026 Treasury yields have also weighed on stocks, with the 30-year bond yield climbing to a 19-year high last week before dipping back down. — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026 Well, Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, is not backing down. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for back down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for back down

Verb

It was scheduled after Sandburg had its original Week 2 opponent back out.

— Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
The department store had promised to place a new store there until economic difficulties following COVID-19 prompted Nordstrom’s, in 2022, to back out.

— Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of back out

Verb

In anticipation of a Friday meeting between Newsom and the leaders of the Senate and Assembly, Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Santa Monica) rallied legislators to implore the governor to back off.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Despite the tough talk, Beijing has seen the US threaten – and then back off from – sweeping sanctions before.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of back off

Verb

Strategic shakeup Usually buying and selling is a cop out, but with where the Red Sox are in their competitive cycle the approach might make some sense.

— Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
The case highlighted limits in Colorado's police oversight despite significant recent reforms aimed at forcing dishonest cops out of the profession.

— Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 22 May 2026

Definition of cop out

Verb

Those songs and more were performed during his set by an ace band that included two drummers, whose polyrhythmic beat recalled the Burundi-like drumming of Ant’s 1980 masterpiece Kings of the Wild Frontier.

— David Chiu, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Cole recalled how, at the close of those early shows, the drawings were removed from their frames and returned to Auckland, to be put back in their cupboards.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of recall

Browse Nearby Words

backcountry

back down

backdrop

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“Back down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20down. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of back down

verb

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