- back down phrasal
- verb (I) to accept defeat in an argument, opinion, or claim: When presented with the evidence, the suspect backed down.
Longman dictionary of contemporary English. 2004.
back down phrasal
Look at other dictionaries:
back down — verb 1. move backwards from a certain position (Freq. 2) The bully had to back down • Syn: ↑back up, ↑back off • Derivationally related forms: ↑backdown • Hypernyms: ↑ … Useful english dictionary
back down — phrasal verb [intransitive] Word forms back down : present tense I/you/we/they back down he/she/it backs down present participle backing down past tense backed down past participle backed down to stop asking for something, or to stop saying that… … English dictionary
back down — PHRASAL VERB If you back down, you withdraw a claim, demand, or commitment that you made earlier, because other people are strongly opposed to it. [V P] The United States had no intention of backing down in its bitter row with the European… … English dictionary
ˌback ˈdown — phrasal verb to stop asking for something, or to stop saying that you will do something, because a lot of people oppose you Neither side is willing to back down.[/ex] … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
scale back/down — [phrasal verb] scale back/down (something) or scale (something) back/down : to decrease the size, amount, or extent of (something) The committee scaled down the budget. The company has scaled back production. We scaled bac … Useful english dictionary
slick back/down — [phrasal verb] slick back/down (hair) or slick (hair) back/down : to pull (hair) back and make it look smooth or shiny by using water or some wet substance (such as hair gel) He climbed out of the pool and slicked back his hair. He had long… … Useful english dictionary
back — back1 [ bæk ] adverb *** ▸ 1 returning to place/state ▸ 2 as reply or reaction ▸ 3 away from the front ▸ 4 away from someone/something ▸ 5 toward beginning of something ▸ 6 in/into the past ▸ 7 in a different place ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) returning to a … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
back — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun 1 part of the body ADJECTIVE ▪ broad ▪ slender ▪ muscular, strong ▪ bent ▪ straight … Collocations dictionary
back — back1 W1S1 [bæk] adv ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(return to place)¦ 2¦(as before)¦ 3¦(previous place)¦ 4¦(backwards)¦ 5¦(reply/reaction)¦ 6¦(return something to somebody)¦ 7¦(in the past)¦ 8¦(again)¦ 9 sit/lie/lean back 10¦(away)¦ … Dictionary of contemporary English
back — I [[t]bæ̱k[/t]] ADVERB USES ♦ (In addition to the uses shown below, back is also used in phrasal verbs such as date back and fall back on .) 1) ADV: ADV after v, oft ADV prep If you move back, you move in the opposite direction to the one in… … English dictionary
