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 can hover like a helicopter, fly forwards like an aircraft, but equally brake in midair or fly backwards," marketing chief Andrea Marchsteiner told AFP.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
You don’t arrive at a chapter and then find yourself needing to frantically page backwards to try to find the previous reference to a person or event, because it will already be present.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
“Given all the other index providers bending over backwards to change their methodologies, it’s good to see S&P DJI not make any changes,” he wrote.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
“Then I started with Henry thinking about his childhood, his primary experiences, his feelings as a kid. I worked my way forwards with Henry and backwards with Vecna until they met.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
Tristran closed his fingers about the snowdrop, concealing it from view, and he took a couple of steps backwards.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
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.
