as in to backtrack
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Recent Examples of backpedal
Allen backpedaled to the corner and got a perfect pass from Bosh just before the 3-point line.
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The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
His administration began backpedaling amid the criticism, though, seeking the release of some grand jury records.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
Instead, while backpedaling, Sabalenka put the ball into the net, giving Anisimova a break chance.
—Howard Fendrich, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
One of the main ones will be that the world’s largest economy, the USA, is backpedaling away from green technology towards climate change denial.
—James Morris, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for backpedal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backpedal
Verb
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Seconds later, Flore backtracked, called the foul on the floor, then backtracked his backtrack and reverted to his initial call.—
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To really understand the magnitude of this moment, let’s backtrack — the taskmaster planet first entered Pisces in March 2023, submerging the collective into quite the introspective season.—
Verb
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Advertisement Takaichi has refused to retract her comments, despite China’s demands.—
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Move too fast, and the blade retracts.—
Verb
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In a 400-page report, the board said that two men who provided key testimony that led to Pippitt's conviction recanted their stories.—
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Still, British Jews have every right to question their state’s extraordinary efforts to free someone who has called for violence against them and who has recanted only in the vaguest terms.—
Cite this Entry
“Backpedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedal. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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