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.
Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler should have collected Mariona Caldentey's free-kick as it bobbled towards her, but the presence of Blackstenius put her off and she fumbled the ball backwards.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
"We are bending backwards to help but we don't have a magic wand," she said, calling on African governments to help with tax breaks and investments of their own.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
Doncic nailed a step-back three from the top of the key, held his follow through and hopped backwards on one leg.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
He published it at age 59, when his own adventures in nervous-system regulation allowed him to bend his formerly stiff body backwards into a plow pose.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
The Captain flung the medal backwards into his nest.
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.
