BACKPEDAL Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

backpedal

verb

Definition of backpedal

as in to backtrack

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of backpedal In follow-up interviews, Grede has declined to backpedal. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026 But leaders shouldn’t backpedal on criminal justice reforms. — A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026 Facing pressure from New England, Jarrett Stidham was backpedaling on third down and tried to throw a chest pass. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 25 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

The scheduled vote on whether to backtrack the May decision follows intense backlash from national public safety leaders and police unions as violence makes headlines in the Greater Boston Area, including the mass shooting on Memorial Drive.

— Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 1 Aug. 2026
The industry, including the WGA and the DGA, balked, and the TV Academy had to backtrack.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 23 July 2026

Definition of backtrack

Verb

Another is an integration with the PubPeer database, which allows users to check whether references in a manuscript have received previous PubPeer comments or have been retracted—both of which can indicate quality or integrity issues.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2026
Mas’ud confessed to building the bomb used in the attack, but later retracted the claim and alleged that he was forced to confess, according to the BBC.

— Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026

Definition of retract

Verb

Judge Glazer noted that the phone call constituted a violation of the order, and the arrest report states McKinney asked the woman to recant her allegations of abuse.

— Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 31 July 2026
In addition, investigators working for Duncan’s legal team interviewed a jailhouse informant who recanted his earlier trial testimony that Duncan had confessed to the crime.

— Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 29 June 2026

Definition of recant

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backpacks

backpedal

backpedaled

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“Backpedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedal. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of backpedal

verb

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