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

Explanation

Anything you push with your feet to control a machine, vehicle, or instrument is a pedal. When you use a sewing machine, you push the pedal with your foot to make the needle move up and down. When you see the letters ped, something related to the foot might just be afoot. Pedestrians walk around by foot, and a pedicure is when your tootsies get the spa treatment. Those letters don’t always relate to feet, but it does with pedal, the noun or verb. The controls on the floor of your car are pedals, and if you put the pedal to the metal, it means you press as hard as you can on the gas pedal. Woohoo!

Example Sentences

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 • Mar. 27, 2026

Amazon-backed Zoox also is serving the public in San Francisco and Las Vegas in purpose-built, pill-shaped autonomous vehicles with no steering wheel or gas pedal.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

“Which seat belts do you want in the car? Which kind of steering wheel layout do you want? How long should the pedal stroke be?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

E-bikes should require riders travelling at more than 6km/h to pedal and the motor should cut out completely when they reach 25km/h.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

“A quarter,” she said, digging it out of the pocket of her pedal pushers.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English

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