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:
“If the current leaders begin to consolidate or retrace, stronger participation from the broader market will likely be necessary to prevent the index from losing momentum.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
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
That allowed them to retrace Ashaal’s SUV to the street where the Voxy blocked his escape.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
Pointed in the wrong direction, trapped outside their own history and unable to retrace their steps because their footprints had been swept away.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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 Documentary: Victoria Uwonkunda retraces her journey to escape Rwanda's genocide 30 years and meets victims and perpetrators of the violence finding a way to reconcile and forgive.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2024
He pivots, retraces their steps, climbs an alley, then turns around.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
And then he retraced his steps across the 150-foot wide thoroughfare that knifes through the heart of the city along what once was the Red Car line of the Pacific Electric Railway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 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
Yields later retraced their gains after New York Fed President John Williams said at a conference that cooling inflation could allow for interest-rate cuts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 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
She retraced her steps, walking backward slowly, so silently that not even the dust knew she was there.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Perhaps by retracing Chapman’s steps, the author suggests, he can resolve some of these conflicts, historical and personal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
After his journey retracing his life off-grid, he decided to send his mother a text message.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
The 70-year-old pope himself carried a large wooden cross through all 14 stations retracing Jesus Christ's path to the tomb, marking a return to a tradition observed by John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
OPEC+ supply increases and spare capacity should stabilize prices if tensions ease, with Brent retracing toward $70/bbl-$75/bbl over the medium term.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
“Yeah,” she said, retracing the line, “it’s junior high.”
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
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.
