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feedback

[ feed-bak ]
/ ĖˆfidĖŒbƦk /
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noun
Electronics.
  1. the process of returning part of the output of a circuit, system, or device to the input, either to oppose the input (negative feedback ) or to aid the input (positive feedback ).
  2. acoustic feedback.
the furnishing of data concerning the operation or output of a machine to an automatic control device or to the machine itself, so that subsequent or ongoing operations of the machine can be altered or corrected.
a reaction or response to a particular process or activity: He got very little feedback from his speech.
evaluative information derived from such a reaction or response: to study the feedback from an audience survey.
Psychology. knowledge of the results of any behavior, considered as influencing or modifying further performance.Compare biofeedback.
Biology. a self-regulatory biological system, as in the synthesis of some hormones, in which the output or response affects the input, either positively or negatively.
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Origin of feedback

First recorded in 1915ā€“20; noun use of verb phrase feed back

Words nearby feedback

feeb, feeble, feeble-minded, feed, Feed a cold; starve a fever, feedback, feedback loop, feed bag, feedbox, feeder, feeder line
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to feedback

assessment, comment, criticism, evaluation, observation, reaction, answer, comeback, rebuttal, reply, retaliation, sentiment

How to use feedback in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for feedback

feedback
/ (ĖˆfiĖdĖŒbƦk) /
noun
verb, adverb feed back
(tr) to return (part of the output of a system) to its input
to offer or suggest (information, ideas, etc) in reaction to an inquiry, experiment, etc
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for feedback

feedback
[ fēdā€²băkā€² ]
The supply of an input to some process or system as a function of its output. See more at negative feedback positive feedback.
The American HeritageĀ® Science Dictionary Copyright Ā© 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for feedback

feedback

A process in which a system regulates itself by monitoring its own output. That is, it ā€œfeeds backā€ part of its output to itself. Feedback is used to control machines; a heating system, for example, uses a thermostat to monitor and adjust its output. Feedback is also used by the human brain to control various muscles and joints.

notes for feedback

By extension, ā€œfeedbackā€ is any response or information about the result of a process.

notes for feedback

Feedback is usually a feature of automation.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright Ā© 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK