as in to backtrack
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Recent Examples of backpedal
For its part, the NCPA has been backpedaling of late.
—
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 10 Jan. 2025
Their defense was much better with Melton, which led to transition opportunities against backpedaling defenses.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 1 Jan. 2025
However, Democrats slowly backpedaled in their support for trans inclusion as the year went on.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 20 Dec. 2024
Robert Anderson backpedaled on his earlier, abolitionist beliefs and came out in support for lynching—unsurprising, considering his books sold well in the South, especially among wealthy white readers.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for backpedal 
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 10 Jan. 2025
Their defense was much better with Melton, which led to transition opportunities against backpedaling defenses.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 1 Jan. 2025
However, Democrats slowly backpedaled in their support for trans inclusion as the year went on.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 20 Dec. 2024
Robert Anderson backpedaled on his earlier, abolitionist beliefs and came out in support for lynching—unsurprising, considering his books sold well in the South, especially among wealthy white readers.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for backpedal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backpedal
Verb
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This method enables the model to backtrack and revise earlier steps — mimicking human thinking — while allowing users to also follow its rationale.—
Jasmine Cui,
NBC News,
28 Jan. 2025
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In an interview earlier this month, Musk backtracked on that goal.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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A day later, once the Tesla truth was clear, the center retracted the claim.—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2025
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The American publisher Wiley, which has retracted more than 11,300 articles and closed 19 heavily affected journals in its erstwhile Hindawi division, said its new paper mill detection tool flags up to 1 in 7 submissions.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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After being being placed in confinement, Grant recanted and said the allegations had been mere rumors, according to the FDC report.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
23 Jan. 2025
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After Trump picked Hegseth, his mother recanted, saying her son was a changed man.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA TODAY,
20 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Backpedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedal. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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