backtrack

verb

back·​track ˈbak-ˌtrak 

backtracked; backtracking; backtracks

intransitive verb

1

a

: to retrace one's course

b

: to go back to an earlier point in a sequence

2

: to reverse a position

Examples of backtrack in a Sentence

The hikers realized they had made a wrong turn and would have to backtrack.

Let me backtrack for a moment and pick up our previous conversation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just over a year later, the agency has been forced to backtrack, with a far more serious epidemic brewing across much of sub-Saharan Africa. —David Cox, WIRED, 15 Aug. 2024

Instead, a backlash has even some once strong allies backtracking. —Russell Contreras, Axios, 8 Aug. 2024

But now, bosses are backtracking: Nearly half of CEOs have concluded that the future of work is hybrid—up from 34% last year. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2024

Australia had plans to restrict when sports betting ads could appear, but the current government appears to have backtracked. —Editorial Board, Washington Post, 31 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

backtrack

verb

back·​track ˈbak-ˌtrak 

1

: to go back over a course or path

2

: to reverse a position or stand