climbdown

American  

[klahym-daun] / ˈklaɪmˌdaʊn /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a retreat from a policy, opinion, position in a debate, etc..

   The government’s recent climbdown from its wage freeze policy is just another instance of the flip-flopping that infuriates voters.

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Etymology

Origin of climbdown

First recorded in 1905–10; climb ( def. ) + down ¹ ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

climbdown

The resignation of the education minister on July 25 marked a rare climbdown for a prime minister who has spent more than a decade cultivating an image of unwavering resolve.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

Morocco is to co-host the 2030 World Cup and Moroccan Football chief Fouzi Lekjaa is one of the few to have publicly supported Infantino since the humiliating climbdown.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

The significance of this climbdown is hard to overstate.

From Slate ● Mar. 24, 2026

Cooper welcomed the apparent climbdown on Greenland and said the UK and its European allies had put forward "positive, constructive proposals" on security in the Arctic.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026

The KLA was the only force, which could have delivered the climbdown.

From After the Rain : how the West lost the East by Samuel Vaknin

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