Word.ws English Dictionary

backing down

backing down is the present participle and gerund of back down.

Meaning of back down

Verb

back down (third-person singular simple present backs down, present participle backing down, simple past and past participle backed down)

  1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have.
    • I was about to sue them, but I had to back down.
  2. (idiomatic, transitive) To make (someone) take a less aggressive position.
    • 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.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
  3. (idiomatic) To withdraw from a commitment or position; back out.

Questions about backing down

What is backing down the present participle and gerund of?
Backing down is the present participle and gerund of back down.

Words near backing down in the dictionary

  1. backing away
  2. backing band
  3. backing bands
  4. backing bean
  5. backing beans
  6. backing down
  7. backing in
  8. backing into
  9. backing off
  10. backing on to
  11. backing one out

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: backing down (page history and authors); back down (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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