See back down on Wiktionary
{
"forms": [
{
"form": "backs down",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "backing down",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "backed down",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "backed down",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "back down (third-person singular simple present backs down, present participle backing down, simple past and past participle backed down)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "I was about to sue them, but I had to back down.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "The boys had planned to fight during recess, but backed down after the principal found out.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-06-21:",
"text": "By the time politicians in several cities backed down on Tuesday and announced that they would cut or consider reducing fares, the demonstrations had already morphed into a more sweeping social protest, with marchers waving banners carrying slogans like “The people have awakened.”",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have."
],
"id": "en-back_down-en-verb-AxtePN-Z",
"links": [
[
"aggressive",
"aggressive"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, intransitive) To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1980 February 9, Chris Guilfoy, anonymous quotee, “Town Meeting Talks About The Issue of Violence”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 28, page 1:",
"text": "I have backed down so many men by confronting them. I'm willing to fight back. If you have that rage in your heart and you are willing to kill, that radiates.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To make (someone) take a less aggressive position."
],
"id": "en-back_down-en-verb-mjMhW3zN",
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, transitive) To make (someone) take a less aggressive position."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "25 20 55",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "21 19 60",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"down\"",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "23 21 56",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "19 17 64",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "15 14 71",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "25 22 53",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Catalan translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "25 22 53",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "23 21 56",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "22 20 57",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "21 19 61",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Italian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "20 18 62",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "26 24 50",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Polish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "30 25 45",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "25 22 53",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "21 19 61",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "19 17 64",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "25 22 54",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To withdraw from a commitment or position; back out."
],
"id": "en-back_down-en-verb-tJtNzJeX",
"links": [
[
"back out",
"back out"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To withdraw from a commitment or position; back out."
],
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 100",
"word": "give in"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 100",
"word": "retract"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 100",
"word": "retreat"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 100",
"word": "yield"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 100",
"word": "backdown"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 100",
"word": "back into"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 100",
"word": "back off"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 100",
"word": "back out"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 100",
"word": "back up"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-back down.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/44/En-au-back_down.ogg/En-au-back_down.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/En-au-back_down.ogg"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "fer-se enrere"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "fer marxa enrere"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "zuòchū ràngbù",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "做出讓步 /做出让步"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "perääntyä"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "baisser d’un ton"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "nachgeben"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"colloquial",
"idiomatic"
],
"word": "eine Rückzieher machen"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "de",
"english": "fig.",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"colloquial"
],
"word": "zurückrudern"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "cedere"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "dać za wygraną"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "dawać za wygraną"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "wycofać"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "recuar"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "voltar atrás"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "ceda"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pojtí na ustúpki",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "пойти́ на усту́пки"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pojtí na popjátnyj",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "пойти́ на попя́тный"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "datʹ zádnij xod",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "дать за́дний ход"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "spasovatʹ",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "спасовать"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "recular"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "echarse atrás"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "ge med"
},
{
"_dis1": "47 39 14",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "ge vika"
}
],
"word": "back down"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English phrasal verbs",
"English phrasal verbs formed with \"down\"",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Catalan translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Mandarin translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Portuguese translations",
"Terms with Romanian translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations"
],
"forms": [
{
"form": "backs down",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "backing down",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "backed down",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "backed down",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "back down (third-person singular simple present backs down, present participle backing down, simple past and past participle backed down)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "give in"
},
{
"word": "retract"
},
{
"word": "retreat"
},
{
"word": "yield"
},
{
"word": "backdown"
},
{
"word": "back into"
},
{
"word": "back off"
},
{
"word": "back out"
},
{
"word": "back up"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English intransitive verbs",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "I was about to sue them, but I had to back down.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "The boys had planned to fight during recess, but backed down after the principal found out.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-06-21:",
"text": "By the time politicians in several cities backed down on Tuesday and announced that they would cut or consider reducing fares, the demonstrations had already morphed into a more sweeping social protest, with marchers waving banners carrying slogans like “The people have awakened.”",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have."
],
"links": [
[
"aggressive",
"aggressive"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, intransitive) To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1980 February 9, Chris Guilfoy, anonymous quotee, “Town Meeting Talks About The Issue of Violence”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 28, page 1:",
"text": "I have backed down so many men by confronting them. I'm willing to fight back. If you have that rage in your heart and you are willing to kill, that radiates.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To make (someone) take a less aggressive position."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, transitive) To make (someone) take a less aggressive position."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English idioms"
],
"glosses": [
"To withdraw from a commitment or position; back out."
],
"links": [
[
"back out",
"back out"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To withdraw from a commitment or position; back out."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-back down.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/44/En-au-back_down.ogg/En-au-back_down.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/En-au-back_down.ogg"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "fer-se enrere"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "fer marxa enrere"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "zuòchū ràngbù",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "做出讓步 /做出让步"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "perääntyä"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "baisser d’un ton"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "nachgeben"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"colloquial",
"idiomatic"
],
"word": "eine Rückzieher machen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"english": "fig.",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"colloquial"
],
"word": "zurückrudern"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "cedere"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "dać za wygraną"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "dawać za wygraną"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "wycofać"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "recuar"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "voltar atrás"
},
{
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "ceda"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pojtí na ustúpki",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "пойти́ на усту́пки"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pojtí na popjátnyj",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "пойти́ на попя́тный"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "datʹ zádnij xod",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "дать за́дний ход"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "spasovatʹ",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "спасовать"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "recular"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "echarse atrás"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "ge med"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to take less aggressive position",
"word": "ge vika"
}
],
"word": "back down"
}
Download raw JSONL data for back down meaning in All languages combined (6.5kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-23 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-03-21 using wiktextract (fef8596 and 633533e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.