🚗 A foot lever 🚴 To ride a bike 🎼 A long bass note 🎹 To use instrument pedals 🦶 Relating to feet

to pedal

18 2.3

To move a bicycle by pushing the foot levers that turn the wheels

verb
/ˈpɛdəl/

: pedalear

Anya sings—full of hope, energy, and excitement as she pedals her rickety bike toward the city.

So run faster, pedal faster, row faster, swim faster, not all out Sprint.

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Examples

You want to teach your daughter how to pedal a tricycle?

Love and Communication (2025)
The faster you pedal your bike the faster the other guy's hand goes back.

Jackass Forever (2022)
I get on my bike and pedal away as fast as I can.

Fiction book (1993)
Rose Rose starts to pedal away, but Mr. Rose stops her.

Fiction book (1999)
It's time to pack a picnic and pedal out to a fun local trail.

Blog text (25)
Jody jumps on her bike and pedals off down the street.

Fiction book (2000)
Kenny frantically pedals the bike up the pristine suburban street.

Fiction book (2000)
As the sun set, I decided to pedal along the scenic route to enjoy the evening breeze.
If you want to go faster, just pedal harder and keep your balance.
Every morning, she pedals her bike to the park, enjoying the fresh air.

Synonyms

to bike

vsto pedal

Informal

45 1.0

To ride a bicycle

focuses on moving by pressing the feet to make wheels turn

to cycle

vsto pedal

10 1.8

To ride a bicycle

focuses on moving by pressing the feet to make wheels turn

to bicycle

vsto pedal

2 1.0

To ride a vehicle with two wheels that you pedal

focuses on moving by pressing the feet to make wheels turn

Idioms

to put the pedal to the metal

Informal

7 6.3

To drive or work as fast as possible, often to finish something

Phrasal Verbs

to soft-pedal

3 7.6

To make a problem or bad news seem less important

to soft-pedal the issue

7.7

Treat a problem as less important to avoid dealing with it

Compounds

gas pedal

14 2.5

A foot pedal in a car that controls the car's speed

brake pedal

Specialized

3 2.0

A foot pedal you press to make a car slow down or stop

foot pedal

2 3.2

A thing you press with your foot to control a machine like a car or sewing machine

pedal pushers

Archaic

1 4.9

Snug pants for women that end around the middle of the lower leg

clutch pedal

Specialized

1 3.9

A pedal in a car you press to disconnect the engine so you can change gears

accelerator pedal

1 3.0

A foot pedal in a car that controls the engine speed

chorus pedal

Specialized

6.7

An electronic device that makes one electric instrument sound like several by adding short echoes and small pitch changes

loud pedal

Specialized

7.1

The pedal on the right of a piano that makes notes keep sounding longer

pedal point

Specialized

7.9

A long low note held while other notes above it change

pedal curve

Specialized

9.9

A curve formed by points where perpendiculars from a fixed point meet a curve's tangents

pedal extremity

Specialized

6.7

The foot and toes at the end of a leg

sustaining pedal

Specialized

6.8

A piano pedal that lifts the pads on the strings so notes keep sounding after you release the keys

soft pedal

6.3

A foot control on a piano that makes the sound softer

How Fast

to race

167 1.0

to pedal

18 2.3

to cycle

10 1.8

Surface Forms

pedal infinitive

pedaled past

pedaled past participle

pedaling present participle

pedals third person singular

Etymology

Pedal as a verb comes from the root ped- 'foot', so it means to move by using your feet to push the pedals. To pedal a bicycle is simply to make it go by pressing with your feet.