BACKPEDALED Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

backpedaled

verb

past tense of backpedal

as in backtracked

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backpedaled

Verb

Seconds later, Flore backtracked, called the foul on the floor, then backtracked his backtrack and reverted to his initial call.

— CJ Moore, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026

Definition of backtracked

Verb

The analysis shows how severely the department’s Office for Civil Rights has retracted from its mission, launching an average of about 100 new investigations a month — 1,839 total from Inauguration Day in 2025 through July 2026.

— Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026
And not all of the proofs were certified as correct by the automatic logic verification platform Lean—in fact, some have already been retracted after outside scientists found mistakes.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of retracted

Verb

The original trial judge agreed, several jurors recanted their guilty verdict, and Texas politicians rallied to her defense.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
At his 2005 trial, those witnesses all recanted, saying police had pressured them to accuse O’Neal.

— Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of recanted

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

backpedal

backpedaled

backpedaling

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Backpedaled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backpedaled. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of backpedaled

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes