renege
[ri-nig, -neg, -neeg]
- Cards. to play a card that is not of the suit led when one can follow suit; break a rule of play.
- to go back on one's word: He has reneged on his promise.
- Archaic. to deny; disown; renounce.
- Cards. an act or instance of reneging.
Origin of renege
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for reneging
Contemporary Examples
The men were accused of reneging on pledges to stop working for the Iraqi government.
Speaker John Boehner is open about the possibility of reneging.
He later accused President Bush of reneging on “compassionate conservatism” and manipulating Christian voters.
renege
renegue
- (intr often foll by on) to go back (on one's promise, etc)
- cards other words for revoke
Word Origin
C16 (in the sense: to deny, renounce): from Medieval Latin renegāre to renounce; see renegade
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for reneging
renege
v.
1540s, "deny, renounce, abandon," from Medieval Latin renegare, from Latin re-, here probably an intensive prefix, + negare "deny" (see deny). Meaning "change one's mind" is from 1784. Related: Reneged; reneging.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper