backwards
Britishadverb
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towards the rear
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with the back foremost
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in the reverse of usual order or direction
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to or towards the past
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into a worse state
the patient was slipping backwards
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towards the point of origin
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informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please
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informal to understand completely
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.
Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham had appealed for "calm on all sides", saying there have been "big gains made in Northern Ireland, and we don't want to see things go backwards".
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
“You play against a really good defense on the road, going backwards is going to be tough,” said Stafford, who completed 30 of 55 passes for 390 yards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Burnham appealed for "calm on all sides", adding in an interview with BBC television that that "big gains" had been made in Northern Ireland "and we don't want to see things go backwards".
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
I tend to go backwards because I’m kind of a time-traveler type girl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
I stare at them fascinated until the spokes begin to revolve backwards while the rim is inexorably borne forward.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
