backspace

American  

[bak-speys] / ˈbækˌspeɪs /

verb (used without object)

backspaces, present (3rd person singular) backspaced, past participle, past backspacing present participle

1. to shift the carriage or typing element of a typewriter one space backward by depressing a special key.

2. Computers. to move the cursor, printhead, etc., toward the beginning of the data.

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noun

backspaces plural

1. the space made by backspacing.

2. Also called backspacer,.  Also called backspace key.  the labeled key on a typewriter or computer keyboard used for backspacing.

backspace British  

/ ˈbækˌspeɪs /

verb

1. to move a (typewriter carriage) backwards

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noun

1. a typewriter key that effects such a movement

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• backspaces
  plural

Participles

• backspacing
  present
• backspaced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• backspace
  simple
• backspaces
  simple
• have backspaced
  perfect
• has backspaced
  perfect
• am backspacing
  progressive
• are backspacing
  progressive
• is backspacing
  progressive
• have been backspacing
  perfect progressive
• has been backspacing
  perfect progressive

Past

• backspaced
  simple
• had backspaced
  perfect
• was backspacing
  progressive
• were backspacing
  progressive
• had been backspacing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will backspace
  simple
• will have backspaced
  perfect
• will be backspacing
  progressive
• will have been backspacing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of backspace

back ² + space

Explanation

A backspace is a keyboard stroke that moves your cursor backwards. When you type the wrong word in an email, you can use the backspace to go back and change it. You can use the word backspace for the keyboard key itself, and also to mean "hit the backspace." If you're helping a friend edit an essay on her laptop, you might say, "Backspace to that first paragraph so I can read it again." The word's been around since the late 19th century, when it referred to typewriters — the backspace was the latest in new technology in 1899.

Example Sentences

Backspace is one key over from that one.

From The Verge • Jul. 11, 2021

Putting an interesting twist on the city’s all-hours, open-container cocktail culture is the Backspace Bar and Kitchen, tucked away in a dive-bar stretch of the French Quarter.

From Washington Post • Mar. 28, 2019

But most browsers and a lot of Webmail sites warn you that you'll lose your work if you hit the Backspace key without the cursor in a text field.

From Washington Post • Dec. 10, 2010

That's not a computer-specific issue; the Backspace key functions as a "back" button in most browsers.

From Washington Post • Dec. 10, 2010

You can erase the s with the Backspace or Delete keys.

From Debian GNU/Linux : Guide to Installation and Usage by Goerzen, John