The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word RECEDE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
R
E
C
E
D
E
More clues leading to the result RECEDE
- Go back from park and garden, briefly
- Go back and surrender again
- About to give way and withdraw
- Go back to make further concessions?
- Go back to compensate for dead grass, we hear?
- Withdraw wine close to unpalatable around church
- About to give back
- Go back and make a further concession?
- About to give way and go back
- Withdraw engineers’ flag
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "decline" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case decline = recede.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does RECEDE mean?
RECEDE verb- To move back; to retreat; to withdraw.
- To cede back; to grant or yield again to a former possessor.
- To take back.