backpedal
verb
back·ped·al
ˈbak-ˌpe-dᵊl 
backpedaled; backpedaling; backpedals
: to retreat or move backward
Examples of backpedal in a Sentence
The outfielder backpedaled a few steps to catch the fly ball.
Recent Examples on the Web
On the whole, the U.S. national security bureaucracy has tried to backpedal Trump’s withdrawal announcement, looking for ways to pull out without compromising U.S. interests.
—
Aaron Stein, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2019
Brandon Miller shook his head, uttering out a few choice words to the visitor’s bench while backpedaling on defense.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2024
Olympic officials backpedaled, scaling back the tower plan.
—Jules Boykoff, Scientific American, 24 July 2024
Over the years, Lucasfilm has demonstrated no aversion to backpedaling major creative decisions and by extension rewarding the negativity.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for backpedal 
Aaron Stein, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2019
Brandon Miller shook his head, uttering out a few choice words to the visitor’s bench while backpedaling on defense.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2024
Olympic officials backpedaled, scaling back the tower plan.
—Jules Boykoff, Scientific American, 24 July 2024
Over the years, Lucasfilm has demonstrated no aversion to backpedaling major creative decisions and by extension rewarding the negativity.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for backpedal
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backpedal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Backpedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backpedal. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
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