Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to play back

to play back

15 3.0
Hear or watch a recording again on a device
  • phrasal verb
  • /pleɪ bæk/
translation icon : reproducir
  • She decided to play back the voicemail message to hear it one more time.
  • record and play back
  • play back the speech

That's not what if you were to play back the whole footage?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Press the play button to play back all the tracks at once.

    Academic text (2011)

  • When you have finished taping, play back the tape.

    Academic text (1999)

  • You can even watch it and play back in the car.

  • Okay, play back the security tape.

    Flight of Fury (2007)

  • To play back your messages, press one.

    Random Hearts (1999)

  • We need to play back the security cameras without alerting anyone.

    Geostorm (2017)

  • And when she got home after midnight, she played back her machine to see if he had called, but he hadn't.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Test your setup by turning on each mic channel, recording on the channel, and playing back the recording.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Music educators can use audio and video recording functions to record and play back their own teaching and their students' performances.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Finalizing is another option available with most software that ensures the CD will play back on various CD devices.

    Academic text (2006)

Synonyms

to play
vsto play back
888 1.0

Cause recorded sound or video to start on a device

is specifically about reproducing recordings again, not only initial emission
to run
vsto play back
153 1.0

To play a recorded sound or video on a device

focuses on reproducing recordings again rather than just starting them
to replay
vsto play back
28 2.1

To play a recording again to hear or see it once more

reproduces recordings on a device whether first time or again
to rerun
vsto play back
3 2.3

Show a TV program, film, or play again after its first showing

is about reproducing recordings on a personal device, not broadcast repeats
to relisten
vsto play back
3.2

To hear a recording or broadcast again

is the device action of reproducing recordings rather than mere hearing

Surface Forms

play back infinitive
played back past
played back past participle
playing back present participle
plays back third person singular

Morphology

play + back

The meaning 'to reproduce or replay a recording' is directly derivable from combining 'play' (to cause media to play) with 'back' signalling a return or repetition of the action. This verb+particle pattern is a common, compositional phrasal construction in English (and has clear parallels in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents is likely to understand the MWE.

Etymology

The phrasal verb play back comes from old tape or record players where you pressed play and the sound came back to your ears. So to play back something means 'to replay a recording' or 'to hear it again'.