backwards
Britishadverb
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towards the rear
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with the back foremost
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in the reverse of usual order or direction
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to or towards the past
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into a worse state
the patient was slipping backwards
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towards the point of origin
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informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please
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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.
"I never realised our laws were so backwards," said Jessie, who is in her 30s.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
That is the oldest truth about masculinity there is, and we have somehow arrived at a moment where a truck company has to remind us of it by getting it exactly backwards.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Studio people were bending over backwards to make all these promises that would never happen in the past,” Lee said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Meanwhile, the figures for people in their prime working age, from 25 to 54, are going backwards.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Anya stumbled backwards, tripping over the uneven dirt and landing hard on her behind.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
