retrace

[ ri-treys ]
See synonyms for: retracere-tracedre-tracesre-tracing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),re·traced, re·trac·ing.
  1. to trace backward; go back over: to retrace one's steps.

  2. to go back over with the memory.

  1. to go over again with the sight or attention.

Origin of retrace

1
1690–1700; <French retracer,Middle French retracier, equivalent to re-re- + tracier to trace1

Other words from retrace

  • re·trace·a·ble, adjective
  • re·trace·ment, noun
  • non·re·trace·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby retrace

Other definitions for re-trace (2 of 2)

re-trace
[ ree-treys ]

verb (used with object),re-traced, re-trac·ing.
  1. to trace again, as lines in writing or drawing.

Origin of re-trace

2
First recorded in 1750–60; re- + trace1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use retrace in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for retrace (1 of 2)

retrace

/ (rɪˈtreɪs) /


verb(tr)
  1. to go back over (one's steps, a route, etc) again: we retraced the route we took last summer

  2. to go over (a past event) in the mind; recall

  1. to go over (a story, account, etc) from the beginning

Derived forms of retrace

  • retraceable, adjective
  • retracement, noun

British Dictionary definitions for re-trace (2 of 2)

re-trace

/ (riːˈtreɪs) /


verb
  1. (tr) to trace (a map, drawing, etc) again

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012