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

The remainder were freshly written and recorded to the album after their initial playback in the studio. —Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

Five minutes of charging gets you 2.4 hours of playback with ANC on, or 5 hours with it off. —Christian De Looper, PC Magazine, 1 July 2025

Verb

As Peter Gonzalez took possession from a throw-in, a fan in the stands tossed the ball that had gone out of play back on the field. —Jon Arnold, New York Times, 15 June 2025

Spanning genres and subject matters, the album plays back to front as a raunchy, raucous ride through Firstman’s unique comedy lens. —Stephen Daw, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2025

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)