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backslide

American  
[bak-slahyd] / ˈbækˌslaɪd /

verb (used without object)

backslid, backslid, backslidden, backsliding

  1. to relapse into bad habits, sinful behavior, or undesirable activities.

noun

  1. an act or instance of backsliding.

    a backslide from his early training.
backslide British  
/ ˈbækˌslaɪd /

verb

  1. (intr) to lapse into bad habits or vices from a state of virtue, religious faith, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • backslider noun

Etymology

Origin of backslide

First recorded in 1575–85; back 2 + slide

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.