backtrack
verb (used without object)
to return over the same course or route.
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.
"For them, backtracking would mean losing their pioneering advantage."
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Happily, the backtracking and throat-clearing ends a little less than halfway through, and from then on it’s all baseball.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
You have this breakup, and now she’s sort of backtracking like Elon Musk did.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
At first, he suggested the rising cases were "not unusual" for the US, before backtracking and calling the situation "serious".
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2025
We had spent all day struggling and backtracking in the cut-up, crevassed area east of the Fire-Hills; We were tired that evening but elated, sure that a clear course would soon open out ahead.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
