plural pedals
1
a
: a lever pressed by the foot in the playing of a musical instrument (such as an organ or piano)
b
: an electronic device that is usually pressed by the foot and that alters or loops the sound of an amplified voice or musical instrument
a guitar pedal
an effects pedal
a wah-wah pedal
2
: a foot lever or treadle by which a part is activated in a mechanism
a bike's pedals
ped·al
pedaled also pedalled; pedaling also pedalling
ˈpe-dᵊl-iŋ 
ˈped-liŋ
: to work the pedals of
Examples of pedal in a Sentence
Verb
He was pedaling as fast as he could.
He pedaled down to the store.
Recent Examples on the Web
Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2025
Babich learned his lesson and took his foot off the blitzing pedal.
—Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 27 Dec. 2024
Saturday's cartoons - losing it, pedal to the metal, and more
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By The Week US
published 13 hours ago
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Escape your echo chamber.
—The Week Us, theweek, 21 Dec. 2024
Mark Scolforo, arkansasonline.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Take a seat, slip your feet in, and pedal your way to your new year’s goals.
—Toni Sutton, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pedal 
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Noun
And yes, mashing the pedal to the firewall will summon the whole powertrain’s fury in a pinch … but that defeats the purpose of trying to go green.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2025
Babich learned his lesson and took his foot off the blitzing pedal.
—Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Class 1 and class 3 e-bikes have motors that provide pedal assistance and have top speeds of 20 mph and 28 mph, respectively.
—Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 27 Dec. 2024
Saturday's cartoons - losing it, pedal to the metal, and more
Newsletter sign up
By The Week US
published 13 hours ago
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber.
—The Week Us, theweek, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
The gunman then pedaled a bicycle through Central Park, took a taxicab to a bus station and then rode the subway to a train station before fleeing to Pennsylvania, authorities said.
—Mark Scolforo, arkansasonline.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Take a seat, slip your feet in, and pedal your way to your new year’s goals.
—Toni Sutton, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pedal
Dictionary Entries Near pedal
Cite this Entry
“Pedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedal. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pedal
1 of 2 noun
ped·al
ˈped-ᵊl
: a lever (as on a piano, bicycle, or sewing machine) worked by the foot
pedal
2 of 2 verb
pedaled also pedalled; pedaling also pedalling
ˈped-ᵊl-iŋ,
-liŋ
1
: to use or work the pedals of something
2
: to ride a bicycle
Etymology
Noun
from early French pedale "a foot lever on an organ," from Italian pedale (same meaning), from Latin pedalis "of the foot," from ped-, pes "foot" — related to pedestrian
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