backpedaling

Definition of backpedalingnext
present participle of backpedal

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backpedaling
Verb
  • School public safety had initially reported that a suspect had been taken into custody before retracting that statement.
    Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
  • This series of exemptions is part of EPA’s suite of PFAS de-regulation that includes approving PFAS-laden pesticides and retracting some of its maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) that were the result of years of careful research and policymaking.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • In 1999, four suspects were arrested, with two suspects confessing but later recanting, police said.
    Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Lunsford ended up recanting his statement when questioned again, this time by a district attorney’s investigator.
    Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
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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Cite this Entry

“Backpedaling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedaling. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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