renege

verb

ri-ˈneg How to pronounce renege (audio)
Definition of renegenext
1
as in to withdraw
to break a promise or agreement my so-called best friend promised to help me move, only to renege come Saturday morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to renounce
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to) refused to renege the principles by which she had always lived her life, even if it resulted in losing her business

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of renege The lawsuit says the HFPA members were promised lifetime Golden Globes tickets and voting privileges, along with other perks, which Penske reneged on by attaching unworkable conditions. — Andrew Dalton, Fortune, 29 July 2026 Moreover, the filing claims that the new entity reneged on a number of promises, including that members would keep their lifetime voting rights as well as their lifetime tickets to the award show. — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026 Mamdani even endorsed Espaillat’s reelection bid before reneging and backing the aforementioned Chevalier. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 At one point officials were contemplating a proposal for a hotel along with newer retail, and only three years ago paid a $2 million settlement to a previous developer who accused the town of reneging on a deal. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for renege
Recent Examples of Synonyms for renege
  1. withdraw
  2. renounce
  3. recall
  4. retract
  5. back out
  6. deny
  7. back down
Verb
  • When combined with a hot blanket of the humidity the city has endured throughout the summer, players could be forced to withdraw from their matches or push through, risking injury.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Although the proposal will remain on Thursday’s agenda because of the 72-hour posting requirement, Kayatta said it will effectively be withdrawn during the meeting with authorization from Board President Tara Jeane.
    — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • Know More Andrews wants the party to embrace term limits and renounce congressional stock trading and corporate contributions.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said every actor in Hong Kong civil society who assumed that renouncing violence and working within the law would be fine has to revise that assumption.
    — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of renounce
Verb
  • Those songs and more were performed during his set by an ace band that included two drummers, whose polyrhythmic beat recalled the Burundi-like drumming of Ant’s 1980 masterpiece Kings of the Wild Frontier.
    — David Chiu, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Cole recalled how, at the close of those early shows, the drawings were removed from their frames and returned to Auckland, to be put back in their cupboards.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of recall
Verb
  • The study was found to be fraudulent; eventually, it was retracted entirely.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • So far, no cinema chains have seemingly gone along with the boycott (NewsCord falsely reported one was going to ban the film, then retracted the claim).
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of retract
Verb
  • It was scheduled after Sandburg had its original Week 2 opponent back out.
    — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The department store had promised to place a new store there until economic difficulties following COVID-19 prompted Nordstrom’s, in 2022, to back out.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of back out
Verb
  • Anderson, who long had been considered a suspect in Shakur’s killing, denied involvement before his death in an unrelated Compton shooting in 1998 at age 23.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Edwards has denied the allegations, but ended his reelection bid after the House Ethics Committee posted their investigative findings last month.
    — Claudia Grisales, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of deny
Verb
  • But the hardliners appear to have gained the upper hand, and Iran shows no sign of backing down.
    — Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • China, which buys 90% of Iran’s oil, issued a defiant warning to Washington rather than back down.
    — Yash Roy, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of back down

Browse Nearby Words

renegades
renege
reneged
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Cite this Entry

“Renege.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/renege. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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