intr.v., -aled or -alled, -al·ing or -al·ling, -als or -als.

1. To move the pedals of a bicycle or similar vehicle backward, especially to apply a brake.
2. To move backward by taking short quick steps, as in boxing or football.
3. To retreat or withdraw from a position or attitude: The senator later backpedaled on the issue.

Stacy Schiff, a guest writer for The New York Times, devoted a column to the phenomenon of backpedaling — retreating from a position or action by dissociating oneself from it rather than apologizing. This, she said, is what Joe Biden did after his remarks about Barack Obama drew fire:

"The backpedaler distances himself from his actions; the two are but dimly acquainted. He has essentially suffered an out-of-body experience, a brief abduction by bad judgment. It can happen to the best of us.... Backpedaling is apology in the passive voice.... It is to half-assume responsibility, to smoke but not inhale. Perhaps it's imperfect, but we are grading on a curve these days."

Link: Slip Sliding Away - New York Times

Posted February 6, 2007.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

verb

To move in a reverse direction: back, backtrack, fall back, retreat, retrocede, retrograde, retrogress. Idioms: retrace one's steps. See forward/backward.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: pedal backwards, as on a bicycle

Meaning #2: step backwards, in boxing

Meaning #3: modify one' opinion, make it less strong

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Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - holde igen
v. tr. - cykle baglæns, bremse

Nederlands (Dutch)
terugtrappen, terugkrabbelen

Français (French)
v. intr. - rétropédaler, (fig) faire marche arrière, en rabattre
v. tr. - rétropédaler, (fig) faire marche arrière

Deutsch (German)
v. - einen Rückzieher machen, mit dem Rücktritt bremsen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - κάνω πισωπεταλιά, (μτφ.) κάνω πίσω, υπαναχωρώ

Italiano (Italian)
tornare sui propri passi

Português (Portuguese)
v. - contrapedalar, voltar atrás

Русский (Russian)
возвращаться к сказанному

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - echarse atrás, pedalear hacia atrás
v. tr. - pedalear hacia atrás

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - trampa baklänges, ändra åsikt, backa ur

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
倒踏脚踏板, 后退, 变卦

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 倒踏腳踏板, 後退, 變卦
v. tr. - 倒踏腳踏板, 後退, 變卦

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 자전거의 페달을 뒤로 밟다, 급히 뒤로 물러서다
v. tr. - 철회하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - ペダルを逆に踏む, さっと後退する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يتراجع‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮חזר בו, נסוג‬
v. tr. - ‮דיווש לאחור‬

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