backwards
Britishadverb
-
towards the rear
-
with the back foremost
-
in the reverse of usual order or direction
-
to or towards the past
-
into a worse state
the patient was slipping backwards
-
towards the point of origin
-
informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please
-
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.
Pep's trademark possession football that goes backwards and sideways is definitely being tinkered with, with City and other leading teams now looking to play forward earlier - something I definitely approve of!
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Bank earnings are as much an art as a science, and to estimate loan-loss provisions a firm has to come up with a worst-case scenario and work backwards from there.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
Significantly, Sabotage was the first song she wrote for the record, before working backwards to the more romantic moments.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
The new CEO faced a stinging rebuke from shareholders last week at the annual general meeting where they largely rejected two board proposals as a step backwards on transparency, particularly concerning climate strategy.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
The powerful tail lashed backwards, wrapping itself around Shadow’s body.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
