backslide

[ bak-slahyd ]

/ ˈbækˌslaɪd /

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See synonyms for: backslide / backsliding / backslider on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), back·slid, back·slid or back·slid·den, back·slid·ing.

to relapse into bad habits, sinful behavior, or undesirable activities.

noun

an act or instance of backsliding: a backslide from his early training.

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Origin of backslide

First recorded in 1575–85; back² + slide

OTHER WORDS FROM backslide

backslider, noun

Words nearby backslide

backsight, back slang, backslap, backslapping, backslash, backslide, backsource, backspace, backspin, backsplash, backsplice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use backslide in a sentence

The dramatic backslide meant the Bulls entered the break with the league’s fourth-ranked offense, 20th-ranked defense, 11th-best net rating and 10th-best point differential, but still managed its fourth-best winning percentage.
The Bulls Were Running The East — Then They Weren’t. How Can They Get Back?|Jared Dubin|March 31, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
But what about the formerly middle-class African Americans who find themselves on the backslide?
How Much Does 'Culture' Matter for 'Inner-City' Poverty?|Jamelle Bouie|March 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They will no longer be tolerated, nor will converted Israel backslide again.
The Prophet Ezekiel|Arno C. Gaebelein
If thou turn us not, we shall never turn; it is in our nature to backslide for ever.
The Power of Faith|Isabella Graham

It is a thing of very common occurrence, inside the different denominations, for their members to backslide, as they call it.
Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary|John Kline
But one must go forward before one can backslide, and Kedzie was on the way up the slippery hill.
We Can't Have Everything|Rupert Hughes
Many of Balzac's women repent, and many of those that repent either backslide or come very near to it.
Balzac|Frederick Lawton

British Dictionary definitions for backslide

backslide

/ (ˈbækˌslaɪd) /

verb -slides, -sliding, -slid, -slid or -slidden

(intr) to lapse into bad habits or vices from a state of virtue, religious faith, etc

Derived forms of backslide

backslider, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

backslide

Origin of backslide

OTHER WORDS FROM backslide

Words nearby backslide

Words related to backslide

How to use backslide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for backslide

Derived forms of backslide