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backtrack

[ bak-trak ]
/ ˈbækˌtræk /
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See synonyms for: backtrack / backtracking on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
to return over the same course or route.
to withdraw from an undertaking, position, etc.; reverse a policy.
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Origin of backtrack

An Americanism dating back to 1715–25; back2 + track
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use backtrack in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for backtrack

backtrack
/ (ˈbækˌtræk) /

verb (intr)
to return by the same route by which one has come
to retract or reverse one's opinion, action, policy, etc

Derived forms of backtrack

backtracking, noun
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
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