soft 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.

“For local politicians, it’s a pretty easy call when 60, 70, 80% of their county voted ‘no’ on the issue, to soft pedal it and not treat it like a serious crime,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2024

And even though Slate’s Matt Yglesias tries to soft pedal his designation by saying Snowden’s not necessarily the “best” but simply the most “influential” figure of the year, he’s wrong.

From Forbes • Dec. 18, 2013

I had a few spots where I wanted to soft pedal but maintain speed.

From Reuters • May 18, 2012

All the numbers�Summertime, Blues for Miti, Cheek to Cheek�not only swing but bounce, suggesting that Randi would be wise to reach occasionally for the soft pedal.

From Time Magazine Archive

I thought that later I might also play the piano, something quiet, using the soft pedal.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien