Skip to content

backwards

/ˈbækwɜɹdz/adverb2 syllables

Backwards means: at or to or toward the back or rear.

Synonyms for backwards4

adverb, as in at or to or toward the back or rear

back, backward, rearward, rearwards

adverb, as in in a manner or order or direction the reverse of normal

backward

What does backwards mean?2

adverb

1

at or to or toward the back or rear“he moved back”

2

in a manner or order or direction the reverse of normal“it's easy to get the ‘i’ and the ‘e’ backward in words like ‘seize’ and ‘siege’”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Backwards in a sentence

  • To pronounce this sound, your tongue needs to be retroflex—pointing backwards.mollydot
  • In this ungrateful world, mischievous people rush headlong, while sane people walk backwards.AmarMecheri
  • I can't tell whether it landed upside down, inside out, or backwards.AlanF_US
  • His eyes are like those of the chameleon: one sees forward, the other backwards.AmarMecheri
  • Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.Asynja
  • He did get it done but as always, he did it ass-backwards.Monk
  • His handwriting slants forwards, whereas hers slants backwards.AlanF_US
  • Ziri tripped and fell backwards, tumbling down the stairs.Amastan

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.