backpedaling

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noun

The act of distancing oneself from a previously supported idea, action, behaviour, etc.; a U-turn or flip-flop.

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Meanings

verb

alternative backpedalling

  1. USgerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of backpedal
nounbackpedaling (countable and uncountable, plural backpedalings)

plural backpedalings · alternative backpedalling

  1. countableuncountableThe act of distancing oneself from a previously supported idea, action, behaviour, etc.; a U-turn or flip-flop.

    Despite the swift backpedalling of the university, the original notice given to stall operators is suggestive of the potential existence of ‘a growing English-speaking elite’ that is ‘happy to maintain the importance of the English language’.

    2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 3

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
backflip
Cite this entry
APA

backpedaling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backpedaling

MLA

“backpedaling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backpedaling. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backpedaling,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backpedaling.

Source: backpedaling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.