BACKPEDALED Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

backpedaled

verb

past tense of backpedal

as in backtracked

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backpedaled

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

But as post-WWII agriculture shifted toward chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and heavy machinery, the need for kudzu decreased rapidly, and the federal government retracted its support for the crop.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
Drivers should remain stopped until the arm is retracted and the bus begins moving again.

— Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of retracted

Verb

In lieu of physical evidence, some witnesses gave statements against Noling during his trial, but later recanted their statements and said they were initially pressured by the prosecutor to give them, the Death Penalty Information Center says.

— CBS News, CBS News, 19 Aug. 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 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.

Browse Nearby Words

backpedal

backpedaled

backpedaling

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Backpedaled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedaled. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of backpedaled

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

southpaw

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes