climb-down
noun
a retreat, as from an indefensible opinion or position.
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climb-down
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climb down
climb downverbto descend
climb-down
American
[klahym-doun]
/ ˈklaɪmˌdaʊn /
noun
climb down
British
verb
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to descend
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(often foll by from) to retreat (from an opinion, position, etc)
noun
Etymology
Origin of climb-down
First recorded in 1885–90; noun use of verb phrase climb down
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is a remarkable climb-down, underscoring the difficulty of spurring the transition to electric vehicles even in an authoritarian country that brooks little dissent.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
Privately, though, they said that was exactly the reason for the climb-down, and Trump himself conceded that markets were getting a little too “yippy” for his taste.
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2025
"I think that is the cover to call it off ... a fig leaf to make it look like it is not a climb-down," he said.
From Reuters ● Oct. 23, 2021
Now running for attorney general, Mr. Griffin, an Army Reserve colonel, sought to put the best face on his climb-down.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2021
He could not draw back now—it would be too much of a climb-down; and it would never do for him, the football captain, to show the white feather.
From Gunpowder Treason and Plot And Other Stories for Boys by Harold Avery
“They showed they could weather the storm and the administration had to climb down from the tariffs and spend most of the past year trying to mollify China.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
While attempting to climb down a set of stairs, Sanders fell sometime between 11:45 p.m. and 12:20 a.m., according to court documents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
It takes some 45 seconds for a crane operator to climb down, let alone reach a shelter, Berestenko said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
But after they touch down on the moon, they won’t be able to climb down a ladder to the surface the way Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did on Apollo 11.
From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2025
In this interval Sam had time to climb down the bridge and disappear without being seen.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
