back button

American  

[bak buh-tuhn] / ˈbæk ˌbʌ tən /

noun

plural

back buttons

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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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

Here’s something I learned from Google: the back button on Android is used 50 percent more often than the home button.

From The Verge • Aug. 8, 2019

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