backpedaling
verb
Definitions
To pedal backwards on a bicycle.
To step backwards.
Example: The player had to backpedal before catching the ball.
To distance oneself from an earlier claim or statement; back off from an idea.
Example: Though initially adopting a hard-line stance, the politician soon started to backpedal.
noun
Definitions
The act of distancing oneself from a previously supported idea, action, behaviour, etc.; a U-turn or flip-flop.