Back down
Back down verb - To break a promise or agreement.
Usage example: if you back down about dinner again, I'm not going to agree to another date
Keep
Keep verb - To mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony.
Both terms in one sentence
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Calvin sometimes to bring Hobbes back down to Earth when he gets too overconfident and Hobbes needs Calvin to keep his life interesting.
Source: Vitriolic Best Buds -
Inverted in Season 4 The Legend of Korra when the heroes kidnap Kuvira's fiance in an attempt to get her to leave Republic City alone, threatening to keep them apart forever if she doesn't back down.
Source: I Have Your Wife - When they get there (and they keep kissing) a bemused Worf sends them back down rather than interrupt them.
Source: Elevator Going Down
Cite this Source
Keep and Back down. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/back_down/keep
Back down & Keep. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/back_down/keep>.
Keep or Back down. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/back_down/keep.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "back down" and "keep" have occurred on timeline