back button

noun

Definition of back button

computers

: an icon on a computer screen that typically depicts a backward pointing arrow and that returns the user to a previously shown window or web page

— called also back arrow

Examples of back button in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So developers can disable back next to those areas to ensure the back button isn’t accidentally triggered. — Dieter Bohn, The Verge, "Android Q’s back gesture controversy, explained," 8 Aug. 2019 But to do that, Google had to rethink Android’s traditional back button. — Chris Welch, The Verge, "Google will make another big improvement to Android Q’s gesture navigation before release," 3 July 2019 In February, leaked software code predicted the demise of the back button on the latest version of Google's Android smartphone. — Vanessa Chang, WIRED, "How Phone Taps and Swipes Train Us to Be Better Consumers," 10 July 2019 Finish it off with a casual jacket and a laid-back button up. — Nicola Fumo, Town & Country, "What to Pack for an Irish Getaway," 4 Mar. 2019 The back button is replaced with swipes up from the left and right bottom corners of the screen. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "OnePlus 6T review: revised formula, same results," 29 Oct. 2018 There’ll be a back button, but only when an app can actually use it. — Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge, "The 5 most important Android P updates," 9 May 2018 The current build of Android P shows the old back button design, which is just an outline. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "Android P Preview 2 hands on—New recent apps, awful gesture nav, and more!," 14 May 2018 Microsoft is using shadow effects across Fluent Design, alongside modernizing context menus and implementing consistent back button controls in apps. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "Microsoft reveals the future of its Fluent Design for Windows 10," 9 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'back button.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about back button

Dictionary Entries near back button

Statistics for back button

Last Updated

20 Sep 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for back button

The first known use of back button was in 1993

See more words from the same year

Comments on back button

What made you want to look up back button? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

comprise

to be made up of

Test Your Vocabulary

Where in the World? A Quiz

What language does pajama come from?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ