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backing down

[/ˈbækɪŋ daʊn/]
verb (gerund/present participle)
recuando, recuando da posição, cedendo
1. To withdraw from a position, claim, or commitment; to retreat or surrender in a confrontation
After the argument, he decided to back down and apologize.
Depois da discussão, ele decidiu recuar e se desculpar.
2. To reverse a vehicle in a backward direction
She was backing down the driveway carefully.
Ela estava recuando a entrada de carros com cuidado.
3. To physically move backward away from something or someone
The dog started backing down when it saw the stranger.
O cachorro começou a recuar quando viu o estranho.
NYC Slang
backing off, chickening out, punking out
Synonyms
retreatingwithdrawingsurrenderingcaving incapitulatinggiving in
Antonyms
standing firmholding groundadvancingpressing forwardpersisting

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
recuando, cedendo
Most common usage in everyday speech
Rio de Janeiro
abaixando a guarda, recuando
Often used colloquially in confrontational contexts
São Paulo
recuando, se rendendo
Standard usage, formal and informal
Portugal
recuar, ceder, render-se
More formal register; 'render-se' emphasizes surrender

Related Idioms & Phrases

back down from a challenge
back down on a promise
refuse to back down
back down gracefully
never back down
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