back button

American  

[bak buh-tuhn] / ˈbæk ˌbʌ tən /

noun

back buttons plural

1. an icon on an electronic device or screen, usually depicting a leftward-facing arrow, which, when pressed, returns the user to the previous webpage, screen, or selection.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• back buttons
  plural

Example Sentences

Back button hijacking is when a website interferes with a browser so the back button no longer takes users to the previous page, instead often keeping them on the site or presenting unsolicited ads.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Label the note and hit the back button.

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2021

If you accidentally split a line and change your mind, you’ll have to hit your phone’s back button, discard your edits, and try again.

From The Verge • Jul. 9, 2021

The way that I listen when I’m truly enthralled by a particular piece of music certainly feels like a crush—picking up the tone arm, hitting the back button, refreshing the browser, over and over.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 26, 2018

The little boy had been twisting himself despairingly, and now said in a small voice, "Mother, I've tried and I've tried and I can't do that back button."

From The Brimming Cup by Fisher, Dorothy Canfield