pedal

American  

[ped-l, peed-l] / ˈpɛd l, ˈpid l /

noun

1. a foot-operated lever used to control certain mechanisms, as automobiles, or to play or modify the sounds of certain musical instruments, as pianos, organs, or harps.

2. a leverlike part worked by the foot to supply power in various mechanisms, as the bicycle.

3. Music.

   1. a foot-operated keyboard, as on an organ or harpsichord.

   2. any of the keys of such a keyboard.

   3. pedal point.

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verb (used without object)

pedaled, pedaling, pedalled, pedalling

1. to work or use the pedals, as in playing an organ or propelling a bicycle.

verb (used with object)

pedaled, pedaling, pedalled, pedalling

1. to work the pedals of (an organ, bicycle, etc.).

adjective

1. of or relating to a foot or the feet.

2. of or relating to a pedal or pedals.

3. using pedals.

   a pedal mechanism.

pedal ¹ British  

/ ˈpɛdəl /

noun

1. 1. any foot-operated lever or other device, esp one of the two levers that drive the chain wheel of a bicycle, the foot brake, clutch control, or accelerator of a car, one of the levers on an organ controlling deep bass notes, or one of the levers on a piano used to create a muted effect or sustain tone

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pedal cycle

      a pianist's pedal technique

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verb

1. to propel (a bicycle, boat, etc) by operating the pedals

2. (intr) to operate the pedals of an organ, piano, etc, esp in a certain way

3. to work (pedals of any kind)

pedal ² British  

/ ˈpiːdəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the foot or feet

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pedal Idioms  

1. see soft pedal.

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Usage

What does pedal mean? A pedal is a foot-operated lever that controls some kind of mechanism. The most common kinds of pedals are those on a bicycle, the brake pedal and gas pedal (accelerator) in a car, and the pedals used in musical instruments like pianos and organs.Pedal can also be a verb meaning to operate a pedal, as in You’d better pedal faster! In American English, the past tense is spelled pedaled and the continuous tense is spelled pedaling. In British English, as with many other words, the l is doubled: pedalled and pedalling.Example: When I was a kid, I liked to pedal my bike as fast as I could and then take my feet off the pedals and watch them keep spinning.

Etymology

Origin of pedal

1605–15; (< French pédale ) < Latin pedālis of the feet. See ped- ², -al ¹

Example Sentences

The silence screeches of disappointment, and I pedal backward, trying to salvage at least a bit of what I just broke.

From Literature

In response, Swinney accused them of pedalling a "doom loop of despair".

From BBC

Stewart’s wild, shivering vibrato sliced through layers of fiddle and pedal steel, eventually grabbing the attention of Nashville bigwigs, including Roy Dea, a Texas-born record producer who would become one of Stewart’s loyal supporters.

From The Wall Street Journal

Zoox robotaxis have no gas pedal, steering wheel or other driver controls, and passengers sit facing each other inside the cabin.

From Los Angeles Times

It also comes one month before Tesla is expected to launch production of a driverless robotaxi called the Cybercab, without traditional controls like a steering wheel or pedals.

From The Wall Street Journal

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