back down
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb: 1. To withdraw from a demand, position, or confrontation; to concede or retreat in the face of opposition or a stronger argument. 2. To physically move backward from a position.
Examples of Usage
- Verb (Concede):
- After a long argument, he finally backed down and admitted he was wrong.
- The company threatened legal action but backed down when faced with public criticism.
- Verb (Move Back):
- The dog growled, and I slowly backed down from the porch.
Advanced Usage
- "to back down from something": To retreat from a specific challenge, claim, or threat.
- She refused to back down from her principles.
- The government will not back down from this policy.
Variants and Related Words
- Backdown (n): The act of withdrawing from a position or demand.
- His sudden backdown surprised everyone in the negotiation.
Synonyms
- Withdraw: To remove oneself from a situation.
- Retreat: To move back or away, especially from conflict.
- Concede: To admit defeat or yield.
- Give in: To stop resisting and agree.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Back off: Similar to "back down," often implying stopping aggressive behavior or ceasing pressure.
- I told him to back off and leave me alone.
- Back away: To move backwards, often slowly and cautiously from something frightening or dangerous.
- She backed away from the edge of the cliff.
Related Idioms
- Climb down: To retract a statement or withdraw from a position in a humiliating way.
- The minister was forced to climb down over his controversial remarks.
Verb
- remove oneself from an obligation
- He bowed out when he heard how much work was involved
- move backwards from a certain position
- The bully had to back down