renege

verb

re·​nege ri-ˈneg 

 also  -ˈnāg,

-ˈnig;

rē- 

reneged; reneging

intransitive verb

1

: to go back on a promise or commitment

2

: revoke

3

obsolete : to make a denial

transitive verb

: deny, renounce

reneger noun

Synonyms

• back down
• back off
• back out
• cop out
• fink out

Examples of renege in a Sentence

They had promised to pay her tuition but later reneged.

my so-called best friend promised to help me move, only to renege come Saturday morning

Recent Examples on the Web

Cheon-yeong expects his freedom in return, but Jong Ryeo’s father reneges on the deal. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024

Just yesterday, Reuters’ Ron Bousso reported that oil giant BP will again renege on its climate commitments. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024

After criticizing Trump for trying to renege on his agreement with Biden to participate in debates, Harris had a flip-flopping moment of her own. —Annabella Rosciglione, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 July 2024

In the case filed before the San Francisco Superior Court, Musk accused the company and its leadership of reneging on its original agreement to build a freely and publicly available rival to works made by the likes of Google’s DeepMind. —Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin renegare

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

renege

verb

re·​nege ri-ˈnig  -ˈneg 

-ˈnēg,

-ˈnāg

reneged; reneging

1

: deny

2

: to go back on a promise or agreement

reneged on paying the debt

reneger noun