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↩️ To the rear ⏪ To the past 🌍 Less developed 👀 Facing the rear 😶 Shy or reserved
backward

backward

84 1.0
Toward the back of something
  • adverb
  • /ˈbæk.wɚd/
: hacia atrás
  • The car rolled backward down the hill.
  • forward and backward
  • move backward
  • step backward

But what Fosbury did was go over backwards but bent right.

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Examples

  • Each and every day, Christine and Julie dance backward in high heels and make the whole production look effortless.

    Academic text (2015)

  • He took a step backward to avoid the puddle.

  • I just want to move forward, not backward, okay?

    Love for Sale (2008)

  • You can start at the end and work backward, or jump around to what you know first.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The "Read to Me" option allows users to control movement forward and backward through the story.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Sometimes you have to move backward in order to set up a future move.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Only this time I feel we're going backward instead of into the future.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I have to either go forward or backward.

    Reclaiming the Blade (2009)

  • When they step forward, she must follow suit; when they step backward, she is drawn after them.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Okay, why don't you count backward from 100, please?

    The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Synonyms

back
vsbackward
∞ 1.0

Toward the rear of something

is the standard directional term for movement toward what is behind
rearward
vsbackward
1 7.4

In a direction toward the back

is the common general term for movement toward what is behind
posteriorly
vsbackward
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Toward the back of a person or thing

is the everyday directional term rather than formal positional wording
tailward
vsbackward
7.3

Toward the back end of an animal or object

is a broader directional term not limited to tail or animal parts
retrogradely
vsbackward
  • Specialized
9.2

Moving backward along the usual flow, for example in blood or nerves

is the basic directional term without the scientific reverse implication

Antonyms

forward
∞ 1.0

In the direction someone faces or moves

Idioms

going backward
1 3.7

Moving back to an earlier state instead of making progress

Compounds

backward glance
2 3.5

A quick look over the shoulder at something behind you

reasoning backward
7.4

To start with the end and find steps to reach it

How Backward

retrograde
2 7.9
backward
84 1.0
forward
176 1.0

Surface Forms

backward positive
backwards positive

Morphology

backward = back (transparent) = back + ward

The word is a standard directional formation built from 'back' plus the suffix '-ward', so its meaning is easy to infer.

Etymology

Backward comes from the old parts back and -ward, which together meant 'toward the back', just like in forward or homeward. So it naturally means moving or facing toward the rear.