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.
"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
"He's brought in the drop shot a little bit, which is good to get the opponents moving forward to backwards, not just side to side."
From BBC
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.
