back-pedal
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He later tried to back-pedal, claiming he was misquoted, but the country's human rights body found his comments "hurtful and harmful".
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
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
Going down, if the hill be long, the brake must be used from the start, and to know how to back-pedal is important.
From Ladies in the Field: Sketches of Sport by Beatrice Violet Graham Greville
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
But there was a slight limp in his movements as he back-pedaled away from the Nipe.
From Anything You Can Do ... by Randall Garrett
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
But those hopes were soon dashed as their scrum back-pedalled furiously, presenting Sexton with a shot at goal that he steered between the uprights.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 24, 2012
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
From there, another scrum, another penalty advantage, and with the All Blacks back-pedalling captain Siya Kolisi crashed over for South Africa's third try and a 10-point lead after a pulsating first 40.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
A cross by Conor Coady sent Asmir Begovic back-pedalling frantically in the opening minute and the goalkeeper was relieved to be able to bat it out for a corner.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 18, 2017
It’s another excellent over from Finn but from its most indifferent delivery comes … a wicket, du Plessis helping a half-tracker to the square leg boundary where a back-pedalling Hales takes the catch with ease.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 14, 2016
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
It was a word of dread among cyclists until, say, the year 1900, when rim-and back-pedalling brakes superseded the inefficient spoon-brake, acting on the front tyre.
From The Brighton Road The Classic Highway to the South by Charles G. (Charles George) Harper
