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.
Forever spouting hilariously wrong theories about the Traitors, I started to feel bad for him when his teammates made fun of him as he sang backwards lullabies played by creepy dolls.
From Los Angeles Times
"It's a bit like if you get a paperclip and bend it forwards, bend it backwards. It's OK for a bit - but eventually it will break."
From BBC
“Because they said it was a backwards pass, that’s how it was able to be advanced.”
From Los Angeles Times
“It just happened to be backwards,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times
You are very well-intentioned, but you’ve actually got the rules of survivor benefits backwards.
From MarketWatch
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.
