as in to backtrack
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Recent Examples of backpedal
Redondo-Rosales backpedaled as officers closed in to grab him and swung a hat in the direction of an officer’s face, according to the video.
—
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Many will dismiss Trump’s moves, even the DHS investigation, as backpedaling to shore up poll numbers.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
By Monday, the Trump administration was backpedaling.
—John McCormack, Washington Post, 16 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
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Many will dismiss Trump’s moves, even the DHS investigation, as backpedaling to shore up poll numbers.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
By Monday, the Trump administration was backpedaling.
—John McCormack, Washington Post, 16 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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However, Melton appeared to backtrack just a bit.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2026
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When the agency seemed to backtrack, later proposing a purely functional bridge with no design flourishes as an option, city officials sued.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the Somewhere musical, the ladders retract, steam comes out of the grates, and there are wooden floors.—
Brian Sherrod,
CBS News,
7 May 2026
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Although the chapter had been peer reviewed and approved by the Federal Judicial Center, as well as by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the center retracted the climate chapter in February.—
Abrahm Lustgarten,
ProPublica,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The conviction turned largely on eyewitness testimony that has since been recanted and scientific evidence that has since been debunked.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
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Bourgerie noted that Ball’s wife later recanted her allegations and that Ball had been named deputy of the year for the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office in 2025.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backpedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedal. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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