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

Last year, a few weeks after the presidential inauguration, my parents went to see Kumar Sanu, an Indian playback singer made famous by Bollywood in the 1990s, who came to the casino on a nostalgia tour. —Vishal Khetpal, STAT, 30 Jan. 2026

It can be expanded by using extra speakers and there’s support for the playback of digital files with a resolution up to 24-bit/192kHz. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Verb

South Oak Cliff may also play back-to-back state champion Edna Karr from Louisiana, depending on how many nondistrict games SOC ends up with. —Greg Riddle, Dallas Morning News, 31 Jan. 2026

In 2021, Taymor made her Broadway debut with Antoinette Nwandu’s Pass Over, which was the first play back on Broadway after the 18-month Covid shutdown. —Justin Kroll, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for playback

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

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)