Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To go back over the course by which one has come.
- intransitive verb To return to a previous point or subject, as in a lecture or discussion.
- intransitive verb To reverse one's position or policy.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun the act of
backtracking - verb to
retrace one'ssteps - verb to
repeat orreview work already done - verb aviation To
taxi down an active runway in the opposite direction to that being used fortakeoff
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb retrace one's course
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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It may also lead to a situation in which it is not always possible to backtrack from a citation to a source, because somewhere along the way somebody decided a certain, necessary piece of information was unnecessary.
The Volokh Conspiracy » The Case for Abolishing the Bluebook 2010
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And some may even be trying to backtrack from the political fallout that the desafuero has caused.
Archive 2005-04-01 2005
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At the same time, thousands of conservative politicians will face a dreadful choice: backtrack from the anti-abortion ground they have staked out and risk infuriating their pro-life base; or deliver on their promise to eliminate the right to abortion, and risk the wrath of a moderate, pro-choice majority.
Letting Go of Roe 2005
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At the same time, thousands of conservative politicians will face a dreadful choice: backtrack from the anti-abortion ground they have staked out and risk infuriating their pro-life base; or deliver on their promise to eliminate the right to abortion, and risk the wrath of a moderate, pro-choice majority.
Letting Go of Roe 2005
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And some may even be trying to backtrack from the political fallout that the desafuero has caused.
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It is being thoroughly abused to track -- pardon, 'backtrack' -- the phone records of everyday mainstream reporters.
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It is being thoroughly abused to track -- pardon, "backtrack" -- the phone records of everyday mainstream reporters.
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Underscoring why he won't debate on Hardwick's show, Davis is trying to backtrack, which is hard when you clearly harbor animus towards the subject matter:
Buffalo Pundit 2009
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Underscoring why he won't debate on Hardwick's show, Davis is trying to backtrack, which is hard when you clearly harbor animus towards the subject matter:
WNYMedia 2009
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Underscoring why he won't debate on Hardwick's show, Davis is trying to backtrack, which is hard when you clearly harbor animus towards the subject matter:
WNYMedia 2009
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