as in to backtrack
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Recent Examples of backpedal
Arrington struggled against the Seahawks’ length at receiver, so Bill Belichick replaced him with Logan Ryan, who ceded too much cushion before backpedaling into the end zone and allowing an easy Chris Matthews touchdown catch to tie the game, 14-14, with two seconds left in the first half.
—
Jeff Howe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
But Woolen jawed at the Rams bench while backpedaling with his hands behind his back after the play.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
By Sunday, officials in the Trump administration had begun to backpedal.
—Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2026
Quarterback Bo Nix, in a sight much too frequent in the 19-3 win, was left to backpedal for his life and loft a duck of an incompletion.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backpedal
Jeff Howe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
But Woolen jawed at the Rams bench while backpedaling with his hands behind his back after the play.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
By Sunday, officials in the Trump administration had begun to backpedal.
—Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2026
Quarterback Bo Nix, in a sight much too frequent in the 19-3 win, was left to backpedal for his life and loft a duck of an incompletion.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backpedal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backpedal
Verb
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Spilling blood in the hunt for Faith was the show’s declarative statement that, despite pushback from some fans, this final chapter won’t backtrack on the show’s version of Gabaldon’s books.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2026
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But the series of mid-decade redraws impacting the 2026 midterms essentially represent a break from tradition and have put Democrats in the position of having to backtrack on some of their past messaging on the issue.—
Hunter Woodall,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The outdoor space here is also enormous, and in the warmer months, glass walls retract for a lively indoor-outdoor scene.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Mar. 2026
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The largest study of the medication included only 77 children and was retracted in January because of errors in its data analysis.—
Sara Novak,
Scientific American,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Attorney Warren Lupel, who represented Gary Dotson, a Chicago-area man who went to prison after being convicted of rape and kidnapping but was freed after the woman who accused him of those crimes recanted her testimony, has died.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
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But in 1999, the four men were arrested, with Springsteen and Scott confessing and later recanting, according to the AP.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backpedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedal. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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