Other forms: reneged, reneging, reneges
To renege is to go back on a promise you gave. Renege on a deal, renege on the agreement, refuse to renege.
It nearly always takes on, and it is a serious accusation because it says the promise was real and broken deliberately. In card games it means failing to follow suit when you could have, which is a named foul.
1verbrenegeTo go back on a promise you gave.
“The company reneged on its promise to keep the factory open.”
renege is a breaking.
The Latin is to deny, the same denying behind negative. To renege is to deny the promise after you have given it.
hooks ontonegative
Latin renegare means to deny, from re- plus negare, to deny; renegade shares the root.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₁eǵ-
Latin
renegō
English, today
renege
Built from
Borrowed from Latin renegō, from negō (“to deny”). Possibly influenced by renegotiate. a doublet of renay. See also renegade.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA