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.
I want them to feel pride in sharing their story, I don’t want it to be something that’s dragging them backwards.
From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2026
Doncic answered with a no-look, backwards bounce pass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
It is "not going backwards, in other words", she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
There was no passing backwards or square, and hopefully any young coaches watching will have been influenced by both teams' urgency to play forward.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
She caught the glimmer of a tear in Troyka’s eye before the pair marched up to the bridge, then turned and took slow steps backwards over it.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
