retrace
Americanverb (used with object)
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to trace backward; go back over.
to retrace one's steps.
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to go back over with the memory.
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to go over again with the sight or attention.
verb
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to go back over (one's steps, a route, etc) again
we retraced the route we took last summer
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to go over (a past event) in the mind; recall
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to go over (a story, account, etc) from the beginning
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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retracesimple
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retracessimple
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have retracedperfect
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has retracedperfect
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am retracingprogressive
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are retracingprogressive
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is retracingprogressive
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have been retracingperfect progressive
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has been retracingperfect progressive
Past
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retracedsimple
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had retracedperfect
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was retracingprogressive
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were retracingprogressive
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had been retracingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of retrace
1690–1700; < French retracer, Middle French retracier, equivalent to re- re- + tracier to trace 1
Explanation
To retrace is to walk the same path again, or to follow a path someone else has taken. You could visit the town your ancestors came from and attempt to retrace their steps there. When you lose your glasses, some helpful person may ask you, "Did you retrace your steps?" What they're suggesting is that you walk everywhere you went earlier, checking as you go to see if you left them on a table or desk nearby. A detective will also retrace someone's steps to solve a crime, looking for clues while walking where the suspect walked. Trace means "outline," but also "follow a line or a path."
Vocabulary lists containing retrace
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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.
See Examples For:
With Ukrainian airspace closed because of the war with Russia, they will then retrace their steps to Poland and fly to London for next week's second leg.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
But there’s a limit to how many similar instances, all with the same structure, the film can retrace before it gives way to monotony.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
“Historically, when you retrace this much of the decline, it’s a good sign,” he adds.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
That allowed them to retrace Ashaal’s SUV to the street where the Voxy blocked his escape.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
We began to retrace our steps down the slope, but we knew we still had time and didn’t hurry.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Documentarian Geeta Gandbhir retraces this slow-moving tragedy through the body camera footage of the exasperated officers who know that the caller, not the children, is the problem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
Running until March 8, the exhibit retraces the journeys made by the researcher, who died in 2003.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
OTTAWA—Retailers in Canada saw a jump in sales in November that retraces weak trade in recent months, hinting at a recovery in household consumption heading into the important holiday season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
“The Sympathizer” enters the Captain’s story nearly a year into his imprisonment, and many drafts into writing what's deemed as his confession, which reads like a manuscript and retraces his faulty memory.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2024
He retraces his steps, growing more anxious with each turn.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
The oil market did a “good job in making up for the supply cut off” from Iran, which is why prices retraced so sharply, Edward Meir, an analyst at financial-services platform Marex, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Following Friday’s bounce, stocks are set to open lower while oil prices have retraced some of their losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Yet another future president might have retraced a path toward more balanced economic or security policies once the disadvantages of trade wars or diplomatic and military isolation became obvious.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
The software stock is down 35% from its most recent 52-week high and has retraced about half of its sharp earnings-driven rally from Dec. 3.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
Once made, no step could ever be retraced; once headed in a direction, the path would never bend nor the pace increase nor slow.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
Core retail sales, which excludes the auto component and gasoline, climbed 0.9%, retracing a 0.7% decline in the category recorded in April.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
After his journey retracing his life off-grid, he decided to send his mother a text message.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Today, the stock fell 3.8% to $154.78, retracing toward its 50-day moving average.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
At City Hall, both supporters and critics of Bass have been retracing recent events, looking for clues as to how things went wrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026
My dad and I had been in the north country recently, retracing a 1915 wilderness journey taken by my grandfather.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
