: an act or instance of reproducing recorded sound or pictures often immediately after recording
played back; playing back; plays back
: to perform a playback of (a usually recently recorded disc or tape)
Examples of playback in a Sentence
Noun
The band listened to a playback of their first recording.
Recent Examples on the Web
Charlie Kaplan, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
Also Read: Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review: Superhit Sequel
The Beats Solo Buds offer playback control with single, double, and triple taps, while volume or voice assistant control is managed with press and hold.
—Prakhar Khanna, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2024
Dedicated video encoding and decoding hardware allows slow, dirt-cheap ARM processors in Roku boxes or Fire sticks to play back 4K video streams.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for playback 
Noun
Some streaming services promise playback boosts in exchange for even smaller royalty rates; some dangle artist-facing features behind expensive subscriptions; and some offer avenues for consideration on official playlists.
—Charlie Kaplan, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
Also Read: Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review: Superhit Sequel
The Beats Solo Buds offer playback control with single, double, and triple taps, while volume or voice assistant control is managed with press and hold.
—Prakhar Khanna, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Verb
On a routine check of cameras to replace the batteries and SD cards, researchers played back some of the footage.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2024
Dedicated video encoding and decoding hardware allows slow, dirt-cheap ARM processors in Roku boxes or Fire sticks to play back 4K video streams.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for playback
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'playback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near playback
Cite this Entry
“Playback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playback. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
playback
1 of 2 noun
play·back
ˈplā-ˌbak 
: the action of reproducing recorded sound or pictures often immediately after recording
play back
2 of 2 verb(ˈ)plā-ˈbak
: to perform a playback of (a disc or tape)
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