retrace

[ri-treys]

verb (used with object)

retraced, retracing 

1. to trace backward; go back over.

   to retrace one's steps.

2. to go back over with the memory.

3. to go over again with the sight or attention.

4. re-trace.

retrace

/ rɪˈtreɪs /

verb

1. to go back over (one's steps, a route, etc) again

   we retraced the route we took last summer

2. to go over (a past event) in the mind; recall

3. to go over (a story, account, etc) from the beginning

Other Word Forms

• retracement noun
• retraceable adjective
• nonretraceable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of retrace¹

1690–1700; < French retracer, Middle French retracier, equivalent to re- re- + tracier to trace ¹

Example Sentences

That moment proves pivotal to two new projects that retrace Candy’s life and work some 31 years after the actor died from a heart attack at the age of 43.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

By the time the men were found in the early hours of Friday, rising water levels meant the simplest way out was impassable, forcing the rescuers and the cavers to retrace their steps.

Read more on BBC

Los Angeles detectives are retracing the final days of a 14-year-old missing girl whose decomposing body was found inside the trunk of singer D4vd’s Tesla.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The coroner’s investigator, who had retraced Gil’s life before his demise, helped.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As she traversed deeper into a remote forested area, she lost her signal entirely, and they were unable to retrace their original route.

Read more on Los Angeles Times