"back down" meaning in English

See back down in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-back down.ogg Forms: backs down [present, singular, third-person], backing down [participle, present], backed down [participle, past], backed down [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} back down (third-person singular simple present backs down, present participle backing down, simple past and past participle backed down)
  1. (idiomatic) To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously has or has planned to. Tags: idiomatic Translations (to take less aggressive position): fer-se enrere (Catalan), fer marxa enrere (Catalan), 做出讓步 (Chinese Mandarin), 做出让步 (zuòchū ràngbù) (Chinese Mandarin), perääntyä (Finnish), baisser d’un ton (French), nachgeben (German), eine Rückzieher machen [colloquial, idiomatic] (German), zurückrudern (english: fig.) [colloquial] (German), cedere (Italian), dać za wygraną [perfective] (Polish), dawać za wygraną [imperfective] (Polish), wycofać [perfective] (Polish), recuar (Portuguese), voltar atrás (Portuguese), ceda (Romanian), пойти́ на усту́пки (pojtí na ustúpki) [perfective] (Russian), пойти́ на попя́тный (pojtí na popjátnyj) [perfective] (Russian), дать за́дний ход (datʹ zádnij xod) [perfective] (Russian), спасовать (spasovatʹ) [perfective] (Russian), recular (Spanish), echarse atrás (Spanish), ge med (Swedish), ge vika (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-back_down-en-verb-6u4hmNYj Disambiguation of 'to take less aggressive position': 78 22
  2. (idiomatic) To withdraw from a commitment or position; back out. Tags: idiomatic Related terms: give in, retract, retreat, yield, backdown, back into, back off, back out, back up
    Sense id: en-back_down-en-verb-tJtNzJeX Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs formed with "down", 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 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 31 69 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs formed with "down": 26 74 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 29 71 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 23 77 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 18 82 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 30 70 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 30 70 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 28 72 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 25 75 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 33 67 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 38 62 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 30 70 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 25 75 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 23 77 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 30 70

Inflected forms

{
  "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": "I was going to sue them, but now I'm going to have to back down.",
          "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 has or has planned to."
      ],
      "id": "en-back_down-en-verb-6u4hmNYj",
      "links": [
        [
          "aggressive",
          "aggressive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously has or has planned to."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "fer-se enrere"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "fer marxa enrere"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "做出讓步"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "zuòchū ràngbù",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "做出让步"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "perääntyä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "baisser d’un ton"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "nachgeben"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "tags": [
            "colloquial",
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "eine Rückzieher machen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "de",
          "english": "fig.",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "tags": [
            "colloquial"
          ],
          "word": "zurückrudern"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "cedere"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "dać za wygraną"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "dawać za wygraną"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "wycofać"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "recuar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "voltar atrás"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "ceda"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "pojtí na ustúpki",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "пойти́ на усту́пки"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "pojtí na popjátnyj",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "пойти́ на попя́тный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "datʹ zádnij xod",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "дать за́дний ход"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "spasovatʹ",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "спасовать"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "recular"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "echarse atrás"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "ge med"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
          "word": "ge vika"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "31 69",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
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            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"down\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "29 71",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "30 70",
          "kind": "other",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 70",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "29 71",
          "kind": "other",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 72",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "25 75",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 67",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "38 62",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "30 70",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "25 75",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
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        {
          "_dis": "23 77",
          "kind": "other",
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          "_dis": "30 70",
          "kind": "other",
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        }
      ],
      "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": "0 100",
          "word": "give in"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "retract"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "retreat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "yield"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "backdown"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "back into"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "back off"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "back out"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "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"
    }
  ],
  "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 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": "I was going to sue them, but now I'm going to have to back down.",
          "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 has or has planned to."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "aggressive",
          "aggressive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously has or has planned to."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "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",
      "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
      "word": "做出讓步"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "zuòchū ràngbù",
      "sense": "to take less aggressive position",
      "word": "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 English (5.8kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). 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.

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