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Backpedal

//ˈbækˌpɛdəɫ// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An act of backpedalling (in any sense).

    "He should come out of his backpedal and turn to run only when a receiver threatens to get behind him in the zone."

Verb
  1. 1
    To pedal backwards on a bicycle. intransitive

    "The road was on a hill and the boy was going down the slope, and as he flashed by he started backpedalling very quickly so that the free-wheeling mechanism of his bike made a loud whirring sound."

  2. 2
    modify one's opinion, make it less strong wordnet
  3. 3
    To step backwards. intransitive

    "The player had to backpedal before catching the ball."

  4. 4
    step backwards, in boxing wordnet
  5. 5
    To distance oneself from an earlier claim or statement; back off from an idea. idiomatic, intransitive

    "Though initially adopting a hard-line stance, the politician soon started to backpedal."

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    pedal backwards on a bicycle wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From back + pedal.

Etymology 2

From back + pedal.

See also for "backpedal"

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