climb down

climb down
verb
come down (Freq. 3)
-

the birds alighted

• Syn: ↑alight
• Hypernyms: ↑descend, ↑fall, ↑go down, ↑come down
• Verb Frames:
-

Something ——s

-

Somebody ——s

-

Somebody ——s PP

* * *

[verb]
1. descend, dismount
2. back down, eat one's words, retract, retreat

* * *

1 Sandy climbed down the ladder: DESCEND, go/come down, move down, shin down.
2 the Government had to climb down: BACK DOWN, admit defeat, surrender, capitulate, yield, give in, give way, submit; retreat, backtrack; eat one's words, eat humble pie; do a U-turn; Brit. do an about-turn; N. Amer. informal eat crow.
→ climb

* * *

intransitive verb
: to retreat from a position previously taken

after taking a bold stand on foreign policy, the ambassador climbed down at the first sign of opposition

* * *

climb down
1. To become more humble
2. To abandon a firmly stated opinion or resolve, or an excessive or overweening demand, position or attitude (climbˈ-down noun)
• • •
Main Entry: ↑climb

* * *

ˌclimb ˈdown [intransitive] [present tense I/you/we/they climb down he/she/it climbs down present participle climbing down past tense climbed down past participle climbed down] british phrasal verb
to admit that you were wrong, especially after expressing an opinion or argument very firmly
Thesaurus: to admit that something is truesynonym
Main entry: climb

* * *

climb down [phrasal verb]
chiefly Brit : to admit that you have made a mistake and change your position or opinion

His statement is seen as an attempt to climb down [=back away] from the strong denial he made yesterday.

— see also ↑climbdown
• • •
Main Entry: ↑climb

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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  • climb-down — climb ,down noun count BRITISH a change of attitude in which someone admits they were wrong …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • climb down — v. 1) (D; intr.) to climb down from (to climb down from a tree) 2) (BE) (D; intr.) ( to retreat ) to climb down from (to climb down from an untenable position) * * * [ klaɪm daʊn] (D; intr.) to climb down from (to climb down from a tree) (BE) (D; …   Combinatory dictionary

  • climb-down — noun a retraction of a previously held position • Syn: ↑withdrawal, ↑backdown • Derivationally related forms: ↑back down (for: ↑backdown), ↑withdraw (for: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • climb-down — n. (BE) retreat a climb down from (a climb down from an untenable position) * * * (BE) [ retreat ] a climb down from (a climb down from an untenable position) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • climb down — phrasal verb [intransitive] Word forms climb down : present tense I/you/we/they climb down he/she/it climbs down present participle climbing down past tense climbed down past participle climbed down British to admit that you were wrong,… …   English dictionary

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