back down

British  

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to withdraw an earlier claim

2. (tr) rowing to cause (a boat) to move backwards by pushing rather than pulling on the oars

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noun

1. abandonment of an earlier claim

back down Idioms  

1. Reverse one's upward course, descend. For example, When she saw the wasps' nest on the roof, she hastily backed down the ladder . This literal usage usually refers to something one has climbed, such as a ladder or mountain. [Mid-1800s]

2. Also, back off . Retreat or yield. For example, As the watchdog began to snarl the letter carrier backed off , or You have a good point; now don't back down when you present it to the board . [First half of 1900s] Also see back away , def. 2.

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Example Sentences

Instead, having walked right up to that point, he stepped back, and sent the case back down to the appeals court, directing it to apply the test instead.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

Bovino was sent back down to El Centro and lost his social media privileges, where he had long posted cringe-inducing videos about what a swell guy he was.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Palantir Technologies stock surged on Monday—and then came right back down on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

But that advice assumes the public trusts that prices will come back down, and after five years of above-target inflation, that trust is harder to take for granted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

The voice inside Duane was trying to get his attention, trying to tell him to stop and insist that they go back down.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• abandon
• admit
• back off
• back out
• backtrack
• balk
• cancel
• cave in
• concede
• give in
• give up
• pull back
• pull out
• renege
• retreat
• surrender
• take back
• withdraw