: 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
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Built for demanding use, these pack a wind-resistant six-microphone AI call system, a 10-minute fast charge for 5 hours of playback, and up to 48 total hours of battery using the compact wireless charging case.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 19 June 2026
Carlos Mejia, PC Magazine, 22 June 2026
All media is played back through a 22-speaker Burmester 3D sound system with Dolby Atmos support, an audio system that is smart enough to tailor the sound output based on the number of passengers in the vehicle.
—Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 19 June 2026
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Noun
The player can handle digital files up to 24-bit/192kHz playback and integrates with major streaming protocols like AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Built for demanding use, these pack a wind-resistant six-microphone AI call system, a 10-minute fast charge for 5 hours of playback, and up to 48 total hours of battery using the compact wireless charging case.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 19 June 2026
Verb
These little guys have powerful noise–canceling play back, High-Res audio, and incredible Dolby audio out of the box.
—Carlos Mejia, PC Magazine, 22 June 2026
All media is played back through a 22-speaker Burmester 3D sound system with Dolby Atmos support, an audio system that is smart enough to tailor the sound output based on the number of passengers in the vehicle.
—Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for playback
Cite this Entry
“Playback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playback. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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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