recant
Other forms: recanted; recanting; recants
If you're someone who speaks before you think, you may need to recant, or take back, that overly honest assessment of your friend's new haircut.
Recant comes from two Latin roots: the prefix re-, meaning "back," and the verb cantare, meaning "to sing." It has been suggested that recant was first used when someone reversed a charm, curse, or some other type of magical spell that would have been chanted or sung. Regardless of whether this is true or not, we suggest that you refrain from singing when you need to recant — unless you've been casting nasty spells on people.
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formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
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Vocabulary lists containing recant
Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office as the 16th President of the United States on March 4, 1861. Since his election the previous November Southern states had met and declared their intent to secede. In his inaugural address Lincoln made it clear that he did not consider the Southern states to be enemies but that it was his duty to protect the Union, by force if necessary.
Bryan Stevenson details his experiences as a defense attorney, focusing on the case of Walter McMillian, who insisted on his innocence even after he was sentenced to the death penalty. This book provides an eye-opening behind-the-scenes look at how the criminal justice system works — or doesn't.