Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense pedals, present participle pedalling, past tense, past participle pedalledregional note: in AM, use pedaling, pedaled
1. countable noun
The pedals on a bicycle are the two parts that you push with your feet in order to make the bicycle move.
2. verb
When you pedal a bicycle, you push the pedals around with your feet to make it move.
She climbed on her bike with a feeling of pride and pedalled the five miles home. [VERB noun]
She was too tired to pedal back. [VERB adverb/preposition]
3. See also back-pedal, soft-pedal
4. countable noun
A pedal in a car or on a machine is a lever that you press with your foot in order to control the car or machine.
...the brake or accelerator pedals.
pedal in British English1
(ˈpɛdəl)
noun
1.
a.
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
b.
(as modifier)
a pedal cycle
a pianist's pedal technique
verbWord forms: -als, -alling, -alledWord forms: US-als, -aling or -aled
2.
to propel (a bicycle, boat, etc) by operating the pedals
3. (intransitive)
to operate the pedals of an organ, piano, etc, esp in a certain way
4.
to work (pedals of any kind)
Word origin
C17: from Latin pedālis; see pedal2
pedal in British English2
(ˈpiːdəl)
adjective
of or relating to the foot or feet
Word origin
C17: from Latin pedālis, from pēs foot
pedal in American English
(ˈpɛdəl; for 1, also ˈpidəl)
adjective
1.
of or having to do with the foot or feet
2.
of or operated by a pedal or pedals
noun
3.
a lever operated by the foot, used in transmitting motion, as on a bicycle, or a pad pressed by the foot in activating a mechanism, as on a sewing machine, so as to operate a device
4.
such a lever or pad used to change the tone or volume of a musical instrument, as an organ or harp
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈpedaled or ˈpedalled, ˈpedaling or ˈpedalling
5.
to move or operate by a pedal or pedals; use the pedals (of)
Word origin
L pedalis < pes (gen. pedis), foot
pedal in Automotive Engineering
(pɛdəl)
Word forms: (regular plural) pedals
noun
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Bodywork, controls, and accessories)
A pedal in a vehicle is a lever that you press with your foot in order to control the vehicle.
Her feet did not reach the brake or accelerator pedals.
The car has adjustable pedals for accelerator, brake, and clutch.
You'll need to adjust the seat so that your feet can reach the pedals.
brake pedal, clutch pedal
Examples of 'pedal' in a sentence
pedal
We used ours to hire bikes and pedal along the seafront.
The Sun (2016)
This young team will now be more aware that taking their foot off the pedal only for one moment can be fatal.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I was stunned, as my foot had not touched the brake pedal.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If you lose a goal, you lose the game - keep your foot on the pedal.
The Sun (2016)
The high heel folds inside the sole to make pedal control easier.
The Sun (2007)
And the clutch pedal is far too close to the centre console.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Trying to pedal away from a fashion enemy would be hard.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
When did braces move from being pedal to dental?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Or tying them to the back of his bike and pedalling really fast.
The Sun (2012)
There are also sporty drilled aluminium pedals.
The Sun (2008)
Businesses must not take their foot off the pedal during the final stretch.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Managers say that many employees have taken to pedalling home for lunch to increase their bonus payments.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
On the second day in the studio he put the pedal through the bass drum.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Behind the scenes he is furiously pedalling away to keep his players buoyant.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The keys and pedals moved exactly the same way he played them.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
You also get the obligatory racing aluminium pedals and the instrument panel is lit with white LEDs.
The Sun (2009)
Her entire being was directed at a few minutes of pedalling around an indoor track in China.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Facing the middle cone in an athletic stance, back pedal to the cone behind you.
The Sun (2011)
Well, that was the end of the pedal car.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But she must pack for a music festival and so pedals off, back to her life.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Visitors can trigger the sound until 7pm today by pedalling a static bike.
The Sun (2014)
When you press the brake pedal, the pads squeeze the disc and slow the wheel.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This is because the clutch pedal is jammed right up against the centre console and there is consequently nowhere to put your left foot.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
You pedal such bicycles normally, but trying to pedal backwards applies a hub brake at the rear wheel.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He will get special kit to steer the plane, using his prosthetic leg to control the rudder pedals.
The Sun (2008)
The main drawback with using exercise bicycles is that pedalling in one place for 20 minutes or so can be boring!
Wallace, Louise M & Bundy, Christine Coping with Angina (1990)
It's much more satisfying to pedal around or along a natural feature rather than a random shape of your own making on the map.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There are other nice touches on the inside, too, such as the blue instrument dials and aluminium pedals.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Word lists with
pedal
parts of a bicycle
In other languages
pedal
British English: pedal /ˈpɛdl/ NOUN
The pedals on a bicycle are the two parts that you push with your feet in order to make the bicycle move.
American English: pedal
Arabic: دَوّاسَةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: pedal
Chinese: 踏板
Croatian: pedala
Czech: pedál
Danish: pedal
Dutch: pedaal
European Spanish: pedal
Finnish: poljin
French: pédale
German: Pedal
Greek: πετάλι
Italian: pedale
Japanese: ペダル
Korean: 페달
Norwegian: pedal
Polish: pedał
European Portuguese: pedal
Romanian: pedală
Russian: педаль
Latin American Spanish: pedal
Swedish: pedal
Thai: ที่เหยียบของรถจักรยาน
Turkish: pedal
Ukrainian: педаль
Vietnamese: bàn đạp
British English: pedal VERB
When you pedal a bicycle, you push the pedals around with your feet to make it move.
She climbed on her bike with a feeling of pride and pedalled the five miles home.
He sank onto the seat and began to pedal.
American English: pedal
Brazilian Portuguese: pedalar
Chinese: 踩自行车 踏板
European Spanish: pedalear
French: pédaler
German: in die Pedale treten
Italian: pedalare
Japanese: ペダルを踏む
Korean: 페달을 젓다
European Portuguese: pedalar
Latin American Spanish: pedalear
All related terms of 'pedal'
gas pedal
The gas pedal is another name for the → accelerator .
pedal bin
A pedal bin is a container for waste, usually in a kitchen or bathroom . It has a lid which is controlled by a pedal that you press with your foot.
back-pedal
If you back-pedal , you express a different or less forceful opinion about something from the one you have previously expressed.
brake pedal
(in a vehicle) a pedal that connects to the brake cable and thus operates the braking mechanism
pedal boat
a recreational water vehicle, consisting of two pontoons with a transverse seat and propelled by a pedal-operated paddle wheel
pedal brake
a brake operated by applying pressure to a foot pedal
pedal cycle
a cycle that is propelled by operating the pedals , as opposed to a motorcycle
pedal point
a sustained bass note, over which the other parts move bringing about changing harmonies
soft pedal
If you soft-pedal something, you deliberately reduce the amount of activity or pressure that you have been using to get something done or seen .
chorus pedal
an electronic device that creates the effect of more than one sound from a single source by combining a short delay with slight deviations in pitch
clutch pedal
The clutch pedal is the pedal by which the driver of a vehicle operates the clutch.
pedal cyclist
a person who rides a pedal cycle, as opposed to a motorcycle
pedal pushers
calf-length trousers or jeans worn by women
sostenuto pedal
a foot-operated lever on a piano , usually the right one of two, that keeps the dampers raised from the strings when keys are released, allowing them to continue to vibrate
accelerator pedal
a pedal pressed with the foot to make a vehicle go faster
sustaining pedal
a foot-operated lever on a piano , usually the right one of two, that keeps the dampers raised from the strings when keys are released, allowing them to continue to vibrate
wah-wah pedal
a foot pedal attached to an electronic musical instrument, used to create a sound that simulates the sound made by a trumpet , cornet , etc, when the bell is alternately covered and uncovered
pedal steel guitar
a floor-mounted, multi-neck, lap steel guitar with each set of strings tuned to a different open chord and foot pedals to raise or lower the pitch
pedal steel (guitar)
a steel guitar mounted on legs and equipped with pedals that serve as an additional means of changing pitch
dead man's handle
a safety switch on a piece of machinery , such as a train, that allows operation only while depressed by the operator
footbrake
a brake operated by applying pressure to a foot pedal