playback

1 of 2

noun

play·​back ˈplā-ˌbak 

: an act or instance of reproducing recorded sound or pictures often immediately after recording

play back

2 of 2

verb

played back; playing back; plays back

transitive verb

: 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

Noun

There's one color option across both models, Graphite, plus each sports quad Dolby Atmos speakers, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, and 16 hours of video playback on a single charge. — James Peckham, PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026

Battery life is rated at 22 hours for regular playback, dropping to 12 hours with EEG tracking active, with USB-C quick-charging delivering two hours of use from a 15-minute top-up. — New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026

Verb

The rest of the quartet, including bassist Sam Wilson and fiddler Josiah Nelson, grab a seat behind Powell and let the tune play back once more. — Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026

Slowing down the number of frames recording per second will make an action appear faster and jerkier when played back at normal speed. — Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for playback

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

Kids 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)