backpedal
English · Thesaurus
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backpedal
- /ˈbækˌpɛdəɫ/
verb backpedals · backpedaling · backpedalling · backpedaled · backpedalled
- To pedal backwards on a bicycle. The road was on a hill and the boy was going down the slope, and as he flashed by he started backpedalling very quickly so that the free-wheeling mechanism of his bike made a loud whirring sound.
- To step backwards. The player had to backpedal before catching the ball.
-
To distance oneself from an earlier claim or statement; back off from an idea.
Though initially adopting a hard-line stance, the politician soon started to backpedal.
Similar: climb down, walk back, backtrack
noun backpedals · back-pedal · backpeddle
- An act of backpedalling (in any sense). He should come out of his backpedal and turn to run only when a receiver threatens to get behind him in the zone.
Translations
Every language
verb to pedal backwards on a bicycle
| Español | retropedalear, contrapedalear |
|---|---|
| Português | retropedalar, contrapedalar, pedalar para trás |
| Français | rétropédaler |
| Deutsch | rückwärts treten |
verb to step backwards
| Español | retroceder, recular, recejar, cejar, ciar |
|---|---|
| Português | recuar, retroceder |
| Français | reculer |
| Deutsch | zurücktreten, nach hinten treten, einen Schritt zurück machen |
| Italiano | retrocedere, fare un passo indietro, indietreggiare, arretrare, regredire |
verb to distance oneself from an earlier claim or statement
| Español | retractarse, recular, desdecirse |
|---|---|
| Português | voltar atrás, desdizer-se, mudar de opinião |
| Français | rétropédaler, faire marche arrière, faire machine arrière |
| Deutsch | einen Rückzieher machen, zurückziehen, zurückrudern |
| Italiano | ritrattarsi, disdirsi, rimangiarsi le parole |
| Русский | давать заднюю davatʹ zadnjuju, переобуться pereobutʹsja |
Talk about this word "backpedal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/backpedal. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. backpedal. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/backpedal "backpedal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/backpedal.Cite this
@misc{backpedal_2026,
title = {backpedal},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/backpedal},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
