A retreat from a position, commitment, or confrontation; the act of backing away from what you previously said or agreed to.
From 'back' + 'down' (to move downward or retreat). This compound word originated in American English in the 1800s as a vivid way to describe withdrawing from a stance.
A backdown is a face-saving nightmare—in politics, when a politician backsdown from a promise, their opponents endlessly replay it, so politicians often avoid backing down even when they're wrong.
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