backpedal

verb

back·​ped·​al ˈbak-ˌpe-dᵊl 

backpedaled; backpedaling; backpedals

intransitive verb

: to retreat or move backward

Examples of backpedal in a Sentence

The outfielder backpedaled a few steps to catch the fly ball.

Recent Examples on the Web

As pressure has built from both Congress and within the military to restore the program, the Defense Department appears to have backpedaled. — Megan Rose, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026

Perhaps most troublingly, Meta recently backpedaled and deleted an unreleased facial recognition system from its smart-glasses app that Wired and EFF revealed had been quietly installed on 50 million phones in June. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026

For a couple more seconds, Hobig kept walking down the street as Pfister backpedaled. — Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Publishers Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive have experimented with ads and quickly backpedaled in response to criticism. — Jordan Novet,annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for backpedal

• bipedal
• bedell
• heddle
• medal
• meddle
• pedal
• peddle
• wedel
• intermeddle