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Back down meaning

Back down is a phrasal verb that means to acknowledge that you were mistaken or have lost a dispute.

Past simple: backed down
Past participle: backed down
-ing form: backing down

What back down means

accept defeat or errorB2

To acknowledge that you were mistaken or have lost a dispute

Neither side was willing to back down.

Similar phrasal verbs

With back: back up, back off.

With down: turn down, let down, put down, slim down, go down, come down, break down, take down, keep down, set down.

Common questions

What does back down mean?

To acknowledge that you were mistaken or have lost a dispute.

What is the past tense of back down?

Backed down, which is also its past participle.

Meanings and examples are written by Retite. The meanings follow Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0). Levels are based on the CEFR-J Wordlist and set by Retite.

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