backtrack

[ bak-trak ]
See synonyms for: backtrackbacktracking on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to return over the same course or route.

  2. to withdraw from an undertaking, position, etc.; reverse a policy.

Origin of backtrack

1
An Americanism dating back to 1715–25; back2 + track

Words Nearby backtrack

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use backtrack in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for backtrack

backtrack

/ (ˈbækˌtræk) /


verb(intr)
  1. to return by the same route by which one has come

  2. to retract or reverse one's opinion, action, policy, etc

Derived forms of backtrack

  • backtracking, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012