playback

1 of 2

noun

play·​back ˈplā-ˌbak 

: an act or instance of reproducing recorded sound or pictures often immediately after recording

play back

2 of 2

verb

played back; playing back; plays back

transitive verb

: to perform a playback of (a usually recently recorded disc or tape)

Examples of playback in a Sentence

Noun

The band listened to a playback of their first recording.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

TikTok has counted views from playback start since its early growth. — Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

The straight tonearm ending in a (swappable) moving magnet phono cartridge points downward, and mechanical controls to the side are pushed, turned and clicked for playback. — New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026

Verb

But Aces head coach Becky Hammon had a starting five nobody expected, and it could be viewed as a protest for having to play back-to-back games on the road this weekend. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026

James Paxton’s new film sets release Paxton is stepping into a role his father was supposed to play back in the 1990s in an earlier iteration of the project. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for playback

• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback

Kids Definition

playback

1 of 2 noun

play·​back ˈplā-ˌbak 

: the action of reproducing recorded sound or pictures often immediately after recording

play back

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)plā-ˈbak

: to perform a playback of (a disc or tape)