backpedaled

verb

past tense of backpedal
as in backtracked

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backpedaled
  1. backtracked
  2. retracted
  3. recanted
Verb
  • Seconds later, Flore backtracked, called the foul on the floor, then backtracked his backtrack and reverted to his initial call.
    — CJ Moore, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Definition of backtracked
Verb
  • The analysis shows how severely the department’s Office for Civil Rights has retracted from its mission, launching an average of about 100 new investigations a month — 1,839 total from Inauguration Day in 2025 through July 2026.
    — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026
  • And not all of the proofs were certified as correct by the automatic logic verification platform Lean—in fact, some have already been retracted after outside scientists found mistakes.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of retracted
Verb
  • Missing evidence and recanted testimonies suggest that powerful men might have interfered with the investigation to hide their own complicity in the murder.
    — Marcus Librizzi, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Springsteen and Scott confessed during police questioning but recanted before trial, saying investigators pressured them into giving false statements.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of recanted
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.

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backpedal
backpedaled
backpedaling
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Cite this Entry

“Backpedaled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedaled. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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