as in to backtrack
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Recent Examples of backpedal
In follow-up interviews, Grede has declined to backpedal.
—
Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Rather than attack the basket and either score or draw a foul, Bridges predictably chose the path of least resistance and pulled up for a fadeaway jumper with 1.4 seconds left before backpedaling into the Atlanta bench.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
But leaders shouldn’t backpedal on criminal justice reforms.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 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
Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Rather than attack the basket and either score or draw a foul, Bridges predictably chose the path of least resistance and pulled up for a fadeaway jumper with 1.4 seconds left before backpedaling into the Atlanta bench.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
But leaders shouldn’t backpedal on criminal justice reforms.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 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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Bondi was central to the Epstein saga Bondi has been central to the political firestorm over Epstein, initially raising expectations for the full release of what’s known as the Epstein files, only to later backtrack.—
Stephen Groves,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
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Gilbert initially broke to his right but had to reverse course and backtrack to his left to make the catch.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
17 May 2026
Verb
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To be sure, while AI execs are still confident the tech will payoff—betting nearly $700 billion in the AI infrastructure buildout—big names like Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei have retracted their previous claims on AI’s ability to replace large swaths of white-collar workers.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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The Stärke’s Gen 2 retains all of this, down to the parking sensors and power-retracting soft top.—
Peter Nelson,
Robb Report,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Others have recanted and said police coerced them into implicating Washington and Simms.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2026
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However, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office ultimately dropped charges against Santana after the 17-year-old accuser recanted his statements to prosecutors, television interviewers and on social media, according to court records.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backpedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedal. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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