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.
Doncic nailed a step-back three from the top of the key, held his follow through and hopped backwards on one leg.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
He published it at age 59, when his own adventures in nervous-system regulation allowed him to bend his formerly stiff body backwards into a plow pose.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
One subplot heavily relies on children’s nursery rhymes and playing them backwards to find hidden messages embedded in their melodies.
From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026
The chair of the Welsh Rugby Union has warned the Welsh Parliament that proposals to remove him and change the sport's governance would be a "step backwards" for the game.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
In between the crowing contest, the backwards bicycle race, and all that, you’d see folks gathered together, talking and laughing.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
