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Glite Dictionary
to welsh out

to welsh out

9.4
Fail to do something you promised, often by not paying what you owe
  • phrasal verb
  • /wɛlʃ aʊt/
  • Offensive
translation icon : [OFENSIVO] no pagar una deuda
  • She promised to help, but then she welshed out and left us on our own.

Examples

  • He always welshed out of paying his share.

  • He tried to welsh out of his part of the bargain at the last minute.

  • Don't welsh out now that everyone is counting on you.

  • Don't welsh out on your friends!

  • Don't welsh out now that everyone is counting on you.

  • He tried to welsh out of his part of the bargain at the last minute.

  • He always welshes out of paying his share when the bill arrives.

Synonyms

to back out
vsto welsh out
  • Informal
79 3.4

Decide not to do something you promised to do

is often used when someone fails after agreeing sometimes to avoid payment
to renege
vsto welsh out
25 8.5

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

is more informal and often involves avoiding payment or commitment
to renege on
vsto welsh out
16 7.2

Fail to do something you promised or agreed to

is more informal and often stresses avoiding payment or commitment
to break a promise
vsto welsh out
16 2.6

To fail to do what you said you would do

is used informally and often points to avoiding payment or commitment
to welsh
vsto welsh out
  • Offensive
5 9.5

To fail to pay a debt or keep a promise after an agreement

is the same meaning but appears as a two-word phrasal variant
to welsh on
vsto welsh out
  • Offensive
4 9.9

To fail to keep a promise or pay a bet

is the same meaning but uses a different small preposition form
to write checks you can't cash
vsto welsh out
  • Informal
1 9.5

To promise something you cannot do

is similar but often stresses avoiding payment or shirking an agreed duty

Antonyms

to commit
706 3.4

To give time, money, or effort to something

to fulfill
  • US
265 2.8

To do what is required or promised

How Trustworthy

to fulfill
  • US
265 2.8
to welsh out
  • Offensive
9.4
to back out
  • Informal
79 3.4
to dodge
25 5.3

Surface Forms

welsh out infinitive
welshed out past
welshed out past participle
welshing out present participle
welshes out third person singular

Morphology

welsh + out

The core sense 'to default/renege' is directly tied to the verb 'welsh' as given, so a learner who already knows 'welsh' would likely infer 'welsh out' means to back out or avoid a payment/commitment. However, 'welsh' is slang/regional and 'out' functions as a particle that does not add a fully regular compositional meaning, so predictability is partial rather than fully transparent.

Etymology

The phrase welsh out may come from old gambling rooms. If a player refused to pay a lost bet they were said to welsh on it, and so welsh out came to mean 'to fail to keep a promise or pay'.