: 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
Paul Monckton, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
For me, a person who has written multiple times about video playback speeds, YouTube’s new speed controls are definitely the highlight.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2024
Paul Monckton, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Big Brother star Rubina Bernabe is scared to watch her showmance play back on TV
Makensy’s risky decision would come down to whether the jury valued her 10 competition wins more, or respected Chelsie’s strategic chops and ability to manipulate others (like Makensy) into doing her bidding.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 14 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for playback 
Noun
Google is testing a big update for Google Photos that could dramatically improve thhe experience of video playback and navigation within the app.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
For me, a person who has written multiple times about video playback speeds, YouTube’s new speed controls are definitely the highlight.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2024
Verb
However, moving the mute button to the left makes way for a new loop button: Currently, videos automatically repeat forever when played back in Google Photos.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Big Brother star Rubina Bernabe is scared to watch her showmance play back on TV
Makensy’s risky decision would come down to whether the jury valued her 10 competition wins more, or respected Chelsie’s strategic chops and ability to manipulate others (like Makensy) into doing her bidding.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 14 Oct. 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 31 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)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share