pedal

1 of 3

noun

ped·​al ˈpe-dᵊl 

plural pedals

1

a

: a lever pressed by the foot in the playing of a musical instrument (such as an organ or piano)

b

: an electronic device that is usually pressed by the foot and that alters or loops the sound of an amplified voice or musical instrument

a guitar pedal

an effects pedal

a wah-wah pedal

2

: a foot lever or treadle by which a part is activated in a mechanism

a bike's pedals

pedal

2 of 3

adjective

ped·​al

1

ˈpe-dᵊl 

 also  ˈpē-

: of or relating to the foot

2

ˈpe-dᵊl  : of, relating to, or involving a pedal

pedal

3 of 3

verb

ped·​al ˈpe-dᵊl 

pedaled also pedalled; pedaling also pedalling ˈpe-dᵊl-iŋ 

ˈped-liŋ

intransitive verb

1

: to ride a bicycle

2

: to use or work a pedal

transitive verb

: to work the pedals of

Examples of pedal in a Sentence

Verb

He was pedaling as fast as he could.

He pedaled down to the store.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Its regenerative braking keeps drivers safe by instantly decreasing speed after easing up on the gas pedal. —Charles Singh, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2025

There are three available preset slots on the pedal for easy recall, and a total of 128 via MIDI. —New Atlas, 3 Aug. 2025

Adjective

Under the town’s rules, anyone younger than 16 can ride less powerful Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes without motor assistance, relying on pedal power alone. —Paulina Czupryna, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025

Alongside the additional oomph, Aston Martin has also altered the throttle map, launch control and pedal weight, meaning 0-to-62 mph takes just 3.4 seconds, while 0-to-124 mph is done in 10.1 seconds; top speed remains the same at 201 mph, but the new Vantage is a bit quicker in getting there. —Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

Verb

Producer Aaron Koontz walked IndieWire through the positives and negatives of pedaling a film paid for by the internet in our extended conversation from June. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Aug. 2025

Over the weekend thousands of Pan-Mass Challenge riders will come together for a bike-a-thon across 186-miles of Massachusetts — pedaling towards a record goal of $76 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 31 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French pedalle "pedal of an organ," borrowed from Italian pedale, earlier, "base of a tree trunk," going back to Latin pedālis "one foot long" (as noun pedāle "footwear") — more at pedal entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Latin pedālis "one foot long," from ped-, pēs "foot" + -ālis -al entry 1; (sense 2) from attributive use of pedal entry 1 — more at foot entry 1

Verb

derivative of pedal entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1883, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing pedal

• gas pedal
• pedal boat
• pedal bone
• pedal-note
• pedal point
• pedal pushers
• pedal steel
• pedal steel guitar
• put the pedal to the metal
• reverb pedal
• soft pedal

Rhymes for pedal

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

Kids Definition

pedal

1 of 2 noun

ped·​al ˈped-ᵊl 

: a lever (as on a piano, bicycle, or sewing machine) worked by the foot

pedal

2 of 2 verb

pedaled also pedalled; pedaling also pedalling

ˈped-ᵊl-iŋ,

-liŋ

1

: to use or work the pedals of something

2

: to ride a bicycle

Etymology

Noun

from early French pedale "a foot lever on an organ," from Italian pedale (same meaning), from Latin pedalis "of the foot," from ped-, pes "foot" — related to pedestrian

Medical Definition

pedal

adjective

ped·​al

ˈped-ᵊl also ˈpēd-

: of or relating to the foot