backward

1 of 3

adverb

back·​ward ˈbak-wərd How to pronounce backward (audio)
variants or backwards
1
a
: toward the back or rear
She glanced backward over her shoulder.
b
: with the back foremost
Take three steps backward.
2
a
: in a reverse or contrary direction or way
Count backward from 10.
b
: toward the past
a journey backward in time
c
: toward a worse state
His new job felt like a step backward.

backward

2 of 3

adjective

1
a
: directed or turned toward the back
a backward glance
b
: done or executed backward
a backward somersault
2
: diffident, shy
I have been backward to begin my canvass.Edmund Burke
3
: less advanced in development or accomplishment than what is typical or expected
… said he felt the news media had given Jasper the image of a backward country town.Eli Rosenberg and Lindsey Bever
backwardly adverb
backwardness noun

backward

3 of 3

noun

: the part behind or past
… the dark backward … of time …Shakespeare
Phrases
bend over backward or lean over backward
: to make extreme efforts (as at concession)
He said he would bend over backward to make the deal.

Examples of backward in a Sentence

Adverb a sudden movement backward, not forward I heard a noise behind me and glanced backward. He pushed the throttle backward. She took a small step backward. a journey backward in time The narrative moves backward and forward in time. Adjective a technologically backward village that has no running water a backward turn on ice skates is hard to learn because you can't see where you're going
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Page jumped backward off an 80-foot cliff while on fire in Mad Dog Morgan (1976), starring Dennis Hopper. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Liam Trimmer died after reportedly falling backward and cutting his neck in a freak accident at his engagement party on Sunday A woman in Australia who is mourning the sudden death of her fiancé is pregnant with their child. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 According to the documents, Long then aimed the gun at Lewis, who was falling backward, and fired three shots. Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024 McKenzie Forbes threw the ball with two hands backward over her head. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Several Democratic lawmakers fear that this policy is a step backward from the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2022, which limited criminal charges for 10- to 12-year-olds to only crimes deemed violent under Maryland law, such as carjacking, rape and murder. Hannah Gaskill The Baltimore Sun (tns), arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024 But after the failure of Ukraine’s offensive to drive Mr. Putin’s troops significantly backward, a rearming Russia could soon be in a position to make advances of its own. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Feb. 2024 In the Christian version, Christ is the eventual hero of God’s plan, leading humanity both forward and backward, toward its eternal place with God. James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 The Warriors went into the Boston game having won 13 of their previous 16 but lost enough earlier in the season that the occasional stinker is a step backward. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
Adjective
There are rounded backs and deep pliés, the kind that help a surfer get up on a board, as well as punchy unison moments that involve, repeatedly, pulled up knees with a backward lean and a hulking step forward. Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 This idea of off-ness is expressed in ways ranging from gentle (backward collars) to more extreme deconstructions. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 The backward situation is going to increase until a moment when no one knows what will happen. Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 Decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, Cold War ideology continues to form Western perceptions of the Eastern Bloc as a backward region, uniformly totalitarian, where everybody was either an apparatchik or a dissident. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Paul Atreides, after all, is the only man in the Dune universe with the ability to see forward and backward in time. EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024 Real or not, play it safe and remember to always eat your doughnuts while walking forward, not backward. Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 1 Mar. 2024 Trent Williams, a 13-year NFL veteran, is a mountain of a man best known for moving other large men backward. Dominic Faria, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2024 Silver seems to be always looking forward, not backward. Tim Reynolds, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Noun
In the weeks ahead, when the pundits are debating how to interpret the latest holiday spending numbers, keep in mind that one half-step backward may be the key to sticking a soft landing. Sanjay Datta, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2023 Then laughs from the back of the room while Paul sat with his hat on backward, chin up and a slight smirk. Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2023 Complete 20 shoulder rolls—10 forward and 10 backward—to ease soreness and stiffness in the neck and shoulder area. Mara Santilli, SELF, 11 Jan. 2023 Until Young flailed backward and officials whistled Doncic, again. Dallas News, 6 Feb. 2022 The miniature snake-in-a-backward-baseball-cap Yahama Ami. Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 26 Nov. 2022 Seconds later, the recording shows the mountain lion pounce from behind and wrest Piper backward. Susanne Ruststaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2022 Pullease then turns and grabs the officer by the neck while pushing her backward, the edited video released by the department shows. Melissa Alonso, CNN, 25 July 2022 When a claim is more general (e.g., a claim such as suppliers involved in making the garment treat their workers well), it can be ascertained through traceability data after it’s been produced (product-backward). Madhava Venkatesh Raghavan, Forbes, 2 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backward.' 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

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1610, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of backward was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near backward

Cite this Entry

“Backward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backward. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

backward

1 of 2 adverb
back·​ward ˈbak-wərd How to pronounce backward (audio)
variants or backwards
1
: toward the back
look backward
2
: with the back first
ride backward
3
: opposite to the usual way : in reverse
count backward
4
: toward a worse state

backward

2 of 2 adjective
1
a
: directed or turned toward the back
a backward glance
b
: done backward
2
3
: slow in learning or development
backward nations
backwardly adverb
backwardness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on backward

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