BACKPEDALED Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

backpedaled

verb

past tense of backpedal

as in backtracked

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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

Experiments that initially corroborated the results were retracted, in one case amid indications of deliberate spiking with fake fusion products.

— George Musser, Quanta Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026
State law says that drivers have to stop and wait for a school bus with the stop arm extended until the stop arm is retracted.

— Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of retracted

Verb

However, Duke pleaded not guilty to all charges and recanted his murder confession on the stand during his 2022 trial — telling the court that Dukes was the one who really killed Grinstead.

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2026
The film includes a riveting scene where the exonerated men — Ransom Watkins, Andrew Stewart, and Alfred Chestnut – meet face-to-face with a man who recanted his testimony that had helped convict the trio decades earlier.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of recanted

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backpedal

backpedaled

backpedaling

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“Backpedaled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedaled. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of backpedaled

verb

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