backtrack
backtracked; backtracking; backtracks
When you backtrack, you return somewhere you've already been, or retrace steps you've already taken. You might backtrack to find something you lost on your way down the sidewalk.
When you walk out the door and realize you must have put your keys down somewhere, you'll probably backtrack through your house, looking for them. You can also backtrack in a figurative way, changing an opinion or a stance on something: "The city promised to build a new library, but now that the budget is so tight I bet they'll backtrack" The original use of the word referred to a technique in fox hunting.
Definitions of backtrack
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retrace one's course
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synonyms:
double back, turn back
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type of:
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return
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
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return
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘backtrack'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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