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

Now, the company is trying to get the government to backtrack. — Caitlin Babcock, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2026

Just a day after the announcement, however, the army air force backtracked. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026

The move comes just two years after California became the first to eliminate the wealth test before backtracking earlier this year due to budget pressures. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026

The mayor eventually backtracked, but only after 18 people died because, yet again, ideology came first. — Bradley Tusk, New York Daily News, 20 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for backtrack

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

Kids Definition

backtrack

verb

back·​track ˈbak-ˌtrak 

1

: to go back over a course or path

2

: to reverse a position or stand