climb down

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climb down

noun climb downs · climb-down

idiomatic An abandonment, withdrawal from, or softening of a previously expressed opinion, policy, argument, etc. It is interesting to speculate on what combination of factors acted within the Bush administration to bring about the climb-down from its previous position.

verb climbs down · climbing down · climbed down · climb-down

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see climb, down. It took 2 hours to climb up, but 4 to climb down as our energy grew less and less.
Similar: backpedal
idiomatic, sometimes, followed by from To abandon, withdraw from, or soften a previously expressed opinion, argument, etc. But Ekeus said Iraq had climbed down in its confrontation with the UN.

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"climb down." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/climb%20down. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

climb down. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/climb%20down

Chicago

"climb down." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/climb%20down.

BibTeX

@misc{climb_down_2026,
  title = {climb down},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/climb%20down},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}