backdate

American

[bak-deyt] / ˈbækˌdeɪt /

verb (used with object)

backdated, backdating

to date earlier than the actual date; predate; antedate.

Backdate the letter so he'll think I wrote it last week.

backdate British

/ ˌbækˈdeɪt /

verb

(tr) to make effective from an earlier date

the pay rise was backdated to August

"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

Etymology

Origin of backdate

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; back ² + date ¹

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.

They may not backdate documents, pressure cognitively impaired clients, transfer funds to their own accounts or add themselves as joint owners without clear authorization.ves as a joint account owner without consent.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

Last November their members, including guards and ticket office staff, voted to accept a pay offer including a backdate pay rise of 5% for 2022-23 as well as job security guarantees.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2024

They accepted the deal in September after the company agreed to backdate the increase by an extra month.

From Reuters • Dec. 23, 2022

Officials aim to backdate the start to Feb. 1; state governors are still pressing the federal government to find a way to make it valid for January too.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2022

V. misdate, antedate, postdate, backdate, overdate†; anticipate; take no note of time, lose track of time; anachronize†.

From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023