backtrack
Americanverb (used without object)
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to return over the same course or route.
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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
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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.
After that, there could be a “more serious stallout at resistance,” and then some backtracking into spring for Nvidia and many semiconductor stocks.
From MarketWatch
They pressed for home-surveillance footage, combed the city for leads and suspects, and within 24 hours revealed that they had detained a person of interest—and just as quickly backtracked.
So far, their strategy has paid off—returns have far exceeded those of European majors, who ultimately backtracked on their green-energy ambitions.
A month later, Kennedy backtracked on these remarks, saying “The causative association between Tylenol given in pregnancy … is not sufficient to say it definitely caused autism, but it is very suggestive.”
From Salon
You have this breakup, and now she’s sort of backtracking like Elon Musk did.
From Salon
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.
