backdate

verb

back·​date ˈbak-ˌdāt How to pronounce backdate (audio)
backdated; backdating; backdates

transitive verb

: to put a date earlier than the actual one on
backdate a memo
also : to make retroactive
backdate pension rights

Examples of backdate in a Sentence

an increase in salary backdated to the beginning of the year
Recent Examples on the Web The raises include a 4% increase backdated to July 1, 2023, and a 2% increase to take effect this July. Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 29 Feb. 2024 The footage shows modifications to the bitcoin whitepaper being made, suggesting that such alterations could be interpreted as consistent with backdating or fabricating the document. Susie Violet Ward, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 The ban is backdated to December 25, 2021, which is when the sample was collected. Samuel Joseph, CNN, 30 Jan. 2024 But a central office employee backdated the change to June 26, a day before Beidleman’s promotion and two days before the OIGE reached out, the report’s authors write. Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2023 While Richardson’s suspension, which backdated to June 28, ended before the women’s 100 meters heats started July 30 in Tokyo, the test result disqualified her trials performance and U.S. team selection. Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 6 July 2023 Where backdating can be proven, however, all this gets turned on its head. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2023 The caveat holder then had three months to put together a full application, which, although filed later than its rival, would be backdated to match the original caveat. Nat Segnit, Harper's Magazine, 4 Mar. 2022 In November 2019, The Reporter published an article in which a lawyer for one of the teenagers claimed that county officials had backdated a document in his client’s case. Emily Flitter, BostonGlobe.com, 18 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backdate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of backdate was in 1822

Dictionary Entries Near backdate

Cite this Entry

“Backdate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backdate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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