From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrecantre‧cant /rɪˈkænt/ verb [intransitive, transitive] formalPPPRR to say publicly that you no longer have a political or religious belief that you had before —recantation /ˌriːkænˈteɪʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
recant• During the Moscow Show Trials in the 1930s, prisoners were forced to publicly recant.• They blindfolded Mrs Dyer, roped her neck, and expected her to recant.• If Amanda Johnston were to recant, and announce that the affair began in school, Woodhead's career would be finished.• McNamara did not recant at the meeting nor did he apologize.• She also testified that Irvin had terrorized her in an effort to make her recant her testimony against him.• Galileo was forced to recant his belief in the Copernican theory.• The magistrate Maximus offered Quirnus the position of priest to Jupiter if he would recant his faith.• After the Reformation, many Catholics recanted to avoid punishment.• Giulio Cesare Vanini, one of the most outspoken atheists of his time but who did not recant, was less fortunate.Origin recant (1500-1600) Latin recantare, from cantare “to sing” 