MEANING
1. To spring or recoil back from a stretched or compressed position.
2. To withdraw from an agreement, pledge, or previously stated position.
Use it for
Show recoil or formal withdrawal.A rare, precise verb for recoil or a consequential retreat from a pledge.
Words that belong together
- resile under pressure
- resile from an agreement
- resile from a pledge
On the page
The rubber strip resiled when the mechanic released the clamp.
The council resiled from its pledge after the budget collapsed.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- resile
- Past tense
- resiled
- Past participle
- resiled
- Present participle
- resiling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- resile
- Present continuous
- am/is/are resiling
- Present perfect
- have/has resiled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been resiling
- Past
- resiled
- Past continuous
- was/were resiling
- Past perfect
- had resiled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been resiling
- Future
- will resile
- Future continuous
- will be resiling
- Future perfect
- will have resiled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been resiling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Uncommon and formal; the physical sense means springing back, while the commitment sense is commonly “resile from.” Sense 2: Formal and uncommon; the construction “resile from” is standard. Do not confuse it with “resilient.”
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