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Glite Dictionary
⌫ A delete key ⌫ To erase
to backspace

to backspace

1 3.6
To press the key that erases the previous letter
  • verb
  • /ˈbækˌspeɪs/
translation icon : retroceder
  • She quickly learned to backspace whenever she typed the wrong letter.

Examples

  • "So how bad does something have to be before you'll backspace?" she asked.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I said, what if I just backspace, backspace, backspace like that.

  • "That would make it kind of hard to backspace," he pointed out.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • OK, am I allowed to backspace and retype things if I make a mistake?

  • Usually when you backspaced, you remembered why you'd done it, at least until you'd had a chance to make whatever change you'd gone back for.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • When I make a mistake while typing, I simply press backspace to erase the last character.

  • If you want to correct an error, just hit backspace before continuing your sentence.

Compounds

backspace key
1 2.6

A key on a keyboard that deletes the letter or number before the cursor

backspace character
  • Specialized
3.9

A code or key that moves the cursor one space left to erase the last thing typed

Surface Forms

backspace infinitive
backspaced past
backspaced past participle
backspacing present participle
backspaces third person singular

Morphology

backspace = backspace (transparent) = back + space

The verb is a straightforward zero-derivation from the noun 'backspace', meaning to use that key or function.

Etymology

Backspace means to use the backspace key: you move the cursor 'back' one 'space' to remove the last letter you typed. That's why to backspace is to erase or step back over the previous character.