backtracked

Definition of backtrackednext
past tense of backtrack

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of backtracked Seconds later, Flore backtracked, called the foul on the floor, then backtracked his backtrack and reverted to his initial call. Cj Moore, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backtracked
Verb
  • In 2017, Neverland Ranch was reverted back to its original name of Sycamore Valley Ranch, per Billboard.
    Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026
  • The third, introduced on April 16, added a system prompt instruction capping the model’s responses at 25 words between tool calls—a change Anthropic said measurably hurt coding quality before it was reverted four days later.
    Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Licensees apply for renewals every eight years, and licenses are virtually never revoked.
    Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Bahrain revoked citizenship from 69 individuals accused of being sympathetic to Iran.
    Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Although the chapter had been peer reviewed and approved by the Federal Judicial Center, as well as by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the center retracted the climate chapter in February.
    Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 2 May 2026
  • Lucas, known for making false confessions, later retracted his claim, and additional evidence ruled him out.
    Ryan Brennan April 28, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • There was so much pushback on the rule that it was rescinded and never went into effect.
    Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026
  • Less than three weeks after selecting Tyrone Brookins as its next superintendent, the Inver Grove Heights school board on Wednesday night rescinded its contract offer, citing board division in its original selection of Brookins as the lone finalist.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • By a 6-3 vote, the court overturned congressional maps in Louisiana that had, by lower court order, been redrawn to create one more district for the state’s Black residents.
    Dan Walters, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
  • As such, Republicans predict that Connecticut’s law will eventually be overturned in federal court.
    Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Backtracked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backtracked. Accessed 6 May. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on backtracked

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster