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to renege on

to renege on

16 7.2
Fail to do something you promised or agreed to
  • phrasal verb
  • /rɪˈnɛɡ ɑn/
translation icon : incumplir (con)
  • They were disappointed when he reneged on the deal he had promised to honor.
  • renege on a promise
  • renege on a commitment
  • renege on an agreement

In the complaint, Twitter dismissed Musk's fake accounts claim, describing Musk's reason for reneging on the deal as a model of hypocrisy.

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Examples

Synonyms

to back out
vsto renege on
  • Informal
79 3.4

Decide not to do something you promised to do

is the same failure but stresses a choice to withdraw
to back away
vsto renege on
59 3.9

Stop supporting or taking part in a plan because you feel unsure

is the broader term for failing to keep promises without the hesitation focus
to breach
vsto renege on
  • Formal
46 4.5

To break a rule, agreement, or promise

focuses on general failure to keep promises rather than legal violation
to retract
vsto renege on
  • Formal
41 6.0

To take back a statement or opinion in public

is about not doing promised actions rather than withdrawing words or beliefs
to go back on
vsto renege on
33 4.1

Break a promise or agreement

is the same idea but uses a different set phrase
to renege
vsto renege on
25 8.5

To break a promise or agreement and not do what you said you would do

is the same meaning but often appears in different grammatical forms
to break a promise
vsto renege on
16 2.6

To fail to do what you said you would do

is the same failure but often expressed with different phrasing
to pull out of the deal
vsto renege on
2 3.7

To stop taking part in an agreement you already agreed to

is the same withdrawal but applies more generally than deal situations
to decommit
vsto renege on
1 8.4

To officially take back a promise or plan

is the general act of breaking promises without stressing formality
to break a vow
vsto renege on
  • Formal
1 5.0

To not keep a serious promise you made, often in a formal situation

is the everyday failure to keep promises rather than only solemn ones
to backstep
vsto renege on
7.1

Take back a promise or support you gave

is the broader idea of failing to keep promises without the retreat nuance
to resile
vsto renege on
  • Formal
9.9

To withdraw from a promise or agreement, often officially under pressure

is the general act of breaking promises without the formal or pressure aspect
to welsh out
vsto renege on
  • Offensive
9.4

Fail to do something you promised, often by not paying what you owe

is the general promise failure without the specific avoiding payment nuance

Antonyms

1.0

To do what you promised

265 2.8

To do what is required or promised

How Trustworthy

to fail
1.0
to renege on
16 7.2
to default on
  • Specialized
28 6.6

Surface Forms

renege on infinitive
reneged on past
reneged on past participle
reneging on present participle
reneges on third person singular

Morphology

renege + on

The meaning is directly derivable from the verb 'renege' (to fail to keep a commitment) with the preposition 'on' marking the thing promised; the phrase simply expresses not fulfilling an agreement. This is a regular verb+preposition combinaton and therefore predictable for a learner who already knows the constituent meanings (noting that 'renege' itself is relatively formal/less frequent).

Etymology

Renege on may come from old card games: if a player failed to play a card of the same suit when they should, they were said to renege, like going back on the game's rule. That's why renege on now means 'not keep a promise' or 'break an agreement'.