playback

1 of 2

noun

play·​back ˈplā-ˌbak How to pronounce playback (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
What’s called a Fast Fuel charge means 10 minutes of charging delivers up to four hours of playback. David Phelan, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025 Season 1 of The Hunting Party averaged 4.2 million total viewers (with delayed playback). Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 12 May 2025
Verb
Music from an external device, such as a smartphone, can now be played back in high-quality, taking full advantage of the SP4000’s digital processing power. Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025 Innovations in tech lead to a memory implant, which records everything the user sees and can be played back exactly as it was seen. Barry Levitt, Time, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for playback

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of playback was in 1929

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Playback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playback. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

playback

1 of 2 noun
play·​back ˈplā-ˌbak How to pronounce playback (audio)
: 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)

More from Merriam-Webster on playback

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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