back-pedal

At the time, Nigeria also warned that it would not tolerate Ukraine's recruitment drive, forcing it to back-pedal.

From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025

I tried to back-pedal, saying, “Look, it will be fine for the dog to live inside the house with us,” and here I really should have deployed a full stop and ended the sentence.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 20, 2016

Carrey isn’t the first actor to back-pedal on a project—but he’s still bringing something new into the mix.

From Time ● Jun. 25, 2013

After jokingly offering to marry Owens if she moved from Kentucky to Illinois, Lincoln tried to back-pedal when she appeared genuinely interested.

From Slate ● Nov. 17, 2012

Several times, when I wanted to slow up, I began to back-pedal, forgetting that I wasn't on my bicycle.

From Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle, or, Fun and Adventures on the Road by Appleton, Victor [pseud.]

Conklin’s knee collapsed under him as he back-pedaled and he struggled just walking to the sideline before being carted to the locker room.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2021

He back-pedaled as Canelo pursued, sensing perhaps that the Russian was showing some signs of fatigue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2019

In the meantime, they have back-pedaled on some of the claims originally listed in the initial pitch.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 3, 2014

But as thousands of people in Ukraine worried about their exposures from the Chernobyl blast, Soviet medical officials back-pedaled on the FIB-4 doctors’ original findings.

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2013

I back-pedaled and whistled—a long, low, familiar howl greeted my ears and brought the tears to my eyes.

From My Home in the Field of Honor by Huard, Frances Wilson

Making the goal better was the back-pedaling Marshall’s desperate dive in a forlorn bid to stop the ball from going in.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 12, 2021

Harvard's back-pedaling follows protests from high-profile figures in the U.S. intelligence community after Harvard made the initial announcement Wednesday.

From Time ● Sep. 15, 2017

The back-pedaling Villa nodded an expert header back across the goal and beyond Hamid’s reach.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 12, 2017

In others —  many, many others —  the back-pedaling by defenders doesn’t last nearly as long.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2017

Yet despite reviewers’ complaints about the nano’s missing playback buttons, it’s hard to imagine Apple back-pedaling.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2011

Hope hooked Mahmood, Carse misjudged, back-pedalled and stuck up a hand to produce a copy of Ben Stokes's famous grab at The Oval during the 2019 World Cup.

From BBC ● May 29, 2025

Ivana later back-pedalled on the statement, according to previous coverage by Salon, saying:

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2022

The government back-pedalled on the planned reopening this week for international tourism due to the threat of the Omicron variant.

From Reuters ● Dec. 2, 2021

Foden released Sterling and as the red shirts back-pedalled his effort needed a Fabinho block.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 2, 2020

He determined to keep his feet going as long as he safely could, and he back-pedalled gently to keep them in place.

From Harper's Round Table, October 22, 1895 by Various

After centuries of perfecting the ritual of ‘civilized’ dining, there is a furious back-pedalling, a wilding, even among the chefs who employ the most cutting-edge techniques.

From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2013

A back-pedalling survivalist, he was a conscientious objector during a war plagued era.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 18, 2013

Meanwhile, the asks what possessed the PM to suddenly announce a new law which has caused such back-pedalling.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2012

Atheists in Tacoma, Washington, have headed their celebration "countdown to back-pedalling".

From BBC ● May 20, 2011

A little practice in back-pedalling, or pushing against the pedal as it comes up rather than as it goes down, will enable you to take your machine down very steep hills at ordinary walking pace.

From Harper's Young People, June 22, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various