Definition of "climb-down" []

• A retreat from an earlier position or opinion; a backing down: "Agreeing to give up their arms and to yield control of Tripoli represented a major climb-down” ( Jim Muir). (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Yesterday's Gitmo climb-down came after the Supreme Court rejected appeals from three Guantanamo detainees challenging their indefinite detention."
• "The climb-down over the payments came after Lloyds and its rivals lost a legal effort two weeks ago to appeal new regulations requiring them to review their PPI sales and contact customers about possible refunds."
• "The White House's climb-down on tightening rules for levels of smog-forming ozone, announced Friday, came the same day as dreadful August jobs data."