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Synonyms

backwards

British  
/ ˈbækwədz /

adverb

  1. towards the rear

  2. with the back foremost

  3. in the reverse of usual order or direction

  4. to or towards the past

  5. into a worse state

    the patient was slipping backwards

  6. towards the point of origin

  7. informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please

  8. informal to understand completely

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Growing up gay in an environment where you’re not allowed to be that was very taxing on me," Gigi told the Bringin' It Backwards podcast, in 2022.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2024

Longtime readers will know I was no fan of Andrew Cuomo’s Backwards AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2023

If the term regression feels too academic, we may just as easily call it the Great Leap Backwards.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2022

It was an unofficial companion piece to his excellent, endurance test of an autobiography, “Sing Backwards and Weep,” released as the pandemic set in the year before.

From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2022

An old Paravan, who had seen the Walking Backwards days, torn between Loyalty and Love.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy