Advanced and Proficiency Vocabulary for Exams(e.g.GRE, Banks, Civil Services, SAT / LSAT). For IELTS/TOEFL, and everyday spoken vocabulary, go to our Spoken Vocabulary Database.
To ‘recant’ is to publicly and formally declare that a statement, opinion, or belief that you have previously expressed is wrong, was a lie, or that you simply no longer believe it. The term was originally used to refer to those who renounced their religious or political beliefs, usually under extreme duress. It is now more typical in the context of withdrawing a legal statement or testimony.
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In Ancient Rome, torture was often used to force Christians to recant their beliefs.
The witness said that attempts had been made to intimidate her into recanting her testimony against the government official.
The case ended up going to trial because the defendant recanted his confession.