backwards
/ˈbakwədz
/(also backward)
adverb
1(Of a movement) in the direction of one’s back: Penny glanced backwards he took a step backwards...
- I started stepping backwards in the direction of the doors.
- I snarled and she took a step backwards, glancing at the naked blade in my hands.
- Devon's eyes widened in surprise at my sudden movements, and stumbled backwards when he caught me.
Synonyms
towards the rear, rearwards, backward, behind one
2(Of an object’s motion) back towards the starting point: the tape rolled backwards...
- His second shot landed on the green, 10 feet short, but checked and rolled backwards off the green.
- Did you know that if you audio tape an episode, and run the tape backwards… it makes more sense?
- To correct for this, players can attempt to put English on the ball, making it roll backwards, forwards or to either side once it's on the ground.
3In reverse of the usual direction or order: count backwards from twenty to ten...
- Hi, Emma, now I am going to put this over your nose and I need you to count backwards from twenty.
- He follows the Prologue with a tale told backwards, in reverse chronological order.
- The first half of the book portrays this event; so we must turn to the middle and run the leaves backwards to get the order of the procession.
Synonyms
in reverse, from the highest to lowest, in reverse order
3.1Towards the past: the songs look backwards to long-ago battles...
- More importantly, both songs look backwards to long-ago battles.
- A failure to follow through on their unspoken promise might well pitch Ukraine backwards into the past from which it is emerging.
- However, my mind tends to frequently wander backwards into the past or else goes racing off into the future.
3.2Towards or into a worse state: a step backwards for the economy...
- Here we have the Government taking a huge step backwards towards compulsory trade unionism.
- With the advent of the left, state intervention in the economy took a step backwards.
- It is not just that there will be no progress on reform on which to report next month; it is that the euro zone and its largest economy have gone backwards.
Synonyms
deteriorate, decline, degenerate, worsen, get worse
informal go downhill, take a nosedive, go to pot, go to the dogs, hit the skids, go down the toilet, go down the tubes
Phrases
backwards and forwards
bend (or fall or lean) over backwards
know something backwards