backtrack
Americanverb (used without object)
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to return over the same course or route.
-
to withdraw from an undertaking, position, etc.; reverse a policy.
verb
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to return by the same route by which one has come
-
to retract or reverse one's opinion, action, policy, etc
Other Word Forms
- backtracking noun
Etymology
Origin of backtrack
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.
In September, mere hours after Charlie Kirk was killed, Patel prematurely announced a suspect had been apprehended — only to have to backtrack when authorities had taken the wrong man into custody.
From Salon
It backtracked on creating a nationalized database, removed the requirements of principal address and physical SSN card, and updated the law to include mobile driver’s licenses that can be displayed digitally on cell phones.
From Salon
Silberfeld’s optimism arose from the agency’s apparent backtracking from plans unveiled in a January court hearing to install up to 800 tiny homes on the property.
From Los Angeles Times
“We hate backtracking, but we’re not crazy … well, not that crazy. We were looking at how a levee disintegrates. It’s not often that you get to see something like that. It’s interesting.”
From Literature
He later backtracked, appearing to be wary of the implications of appearing to imitate India, but would it be so bad if England were?
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
