backpedal

present singular third person backpedals · US participle present backpedaling · UK participle present backpedalling · US participle past backpedaled · US past backpedaled · UK participle past backpedalled · UK past backpedalled · alternative back-pedal · alternative backpeddle

1. intransitiveTo 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.

   1984, Roald Dahl, Boy

2. intransitiveTo step backwards.

   The player had to backpedal before catching the ball.

3. idiomaticintransitiveTo 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.

   4 more examples

   The best car sound of 1999 is that of a new Rover 75 being furiously backpedalled through the motoring page of the Sunday Times.

   1999 February 15, Simon Hacker, “Rover 75”, in The Guardian

   There were harsher comments from Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas: "The negotiations are in a state of paralysis, and the result of Israel's intransigence and America's backpedalling is that there is no hope of negotiations on the horizon."

   2009 November 2, Ian Black, “Arab anger as Hillary Clinton backs Israel on settlements”, in The Guardian

   President Donald Trump backpedaled on his threat to shut down the southern border, saying Thursday that now he doesn’t think the US will “ever have to close the border.”

   2019 April 4, Maegan Vazquez, “Trump backpedals: ‘I don’t think we’ll ever have to close the border’”, in CNN

   Adidas is backpedaling fast over its latest attempt to protect its iconic three-stripe mark.

   2023 March 29, Anna Cooban, “Adidas does rapid U-turn in Black Lives Matter logo dispute”, in CNN

   Synonyms: climb down, walk back, backtrack

plural backpedals · alternative back-pedal · alternative backpeddle

1. 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.

   2013, Greg Colby, Football: Steps to Success, page 120

   1 more example

   They were doing 50 yards of lunges, 50 yards of backpedals, sprinting for 50 yards and power walking one mile around the track to help him reach his target heart rate.

   2014 August 4, Talia Day, “No more ‘Big Ben’: City leader loses 145 pounds”, in CNN