backtrack
Americanverb (used without object)
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to return over the same course or route.
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to withdraw from an undertaking, position, etc.; reverse a policy.
verb
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to return by the same route by which one has come
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to retract or reverse one's opinion, action, policy, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have backtrackedperfect
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has backtrackedperfect 3rd person singular
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am backtrackingprogressive 1st person singular
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are backtrackingprogressive
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has been backtrackingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is backtrackingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been backtrackingperfect progressive
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backtrackingparticiple
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backtrackssingular 3rd person
Past
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had backtrackedperfect
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was backtrackingprogressive singular
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were backtrackingprogressive plural
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backtrackedparticiple
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had been backtrackingperfect progressive
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backtrackedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of backtrack
Explanation
When you backtrack, you return somewhere you've already been, or retrace steps you've already taken. You might backtrack to find something you lost on your way down the sidewalk. When you walk out the door and realize you must have put your keys down somewhere, you'll probably backtrack through your house, looking for them. You can also backtrack in a figurative way, changing an opinion or a stance on something: "The city promised to build a new library, but now that the budget is so tight I bet they'll backtrack" The original use of the word referred to a technique in fox hunting.
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.
But the legal arguments in this letter were so weak that no one pursued them seriously, and the Department of Justice later had to backtrack the arguments in court.
From Slate • Apr. 29, 2026
The Wall Street Journal later reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the US giant was preparing to backtrack on its acquisition after the Chinese edict.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
“The President has this tendency to TACO,” he said, referring to Trump’s tendency to announce tough policies only to backtrack on those announcements later.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
In September, mere hours after Charlie Kirk was killed, Patel prematurely announced a suspect had been apprehended — only to have to backtrack when authorities had taken the wrong man into custody.
From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026
Sara raises her eyebrows at me, so I backtrack.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
