backwardsadverb
uk/ˈbæk.wədz/us/ˈbæk.wɚdz/mainly UK US usually backwardB1 towards the direction that is opposite to the one in which you are facing or opposite to the usual direction:
I walked backwards towards the door.
He took a step backwards to allow her to pass.
He began counting backwards: "Ten, nine, eight..."
Compare
forwards
returning to older and less effective ways:
The breakdown in negotiations will be seen as a step backwards.
backwards and forwards
first in one direction and then in the opposite one:
Paul paced anxiously backwards and forwards.
More examples
- When the car hit him he was thrown backwards two or three metres.
- To go backwards, you must put the car into reverse gear.
- She stepped backwards and fell over a chair.
- He tilted his chair backwards and put his feet up on his desk.
- The movement of the ship caused the mast to sway backwards and forwards.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Backwards, sideways and back and forth
- anticlockwise
- aside
- back
- back and forth idiom
- backward
- broadside
- counterclockwise
- crabwise
- hither and thither idiom
- retro
- right/wrong way round idiom
- side
- sideways
- stand
- stand back
- there
- there and back idiom
- to and fro
- to-ing and fro-ing
- wrong
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Custom, tradition & conformity
Idiom(s)
bend/lean over backwards