Backward (Adverb)
Meaning 1
At or to or toward the back or rear; "he moved back"; "tripped when he stepped backward"; "she looked rearward out the window of the car".
Examples
- She stepped backward to let her friends pass through the doorway first.
- The car reversed backward into the parking space.
- He moved backward slowly down the stairs in the dark.
- The athlete took a few steps backward to prepare for the long jump.
- When startled the child jumped backward and bumped into the wall.
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Antonyms
Meaning 2
In or to or toward a past time; "set the clocks back an hour"; "never look back"; "lovers of the past looking fondly backward".
Examples
- Looking backward on her life, she realized she had made many mistakes.
- He always moved forward, never looking backward to past regrets.
- She gazed backward in time, remembering the good old days.
- People often look backward and wish they had made different choices.
- When daylight saving time ends, we set our clocks backward an hour.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Meaning 3
In a manner or order or direction the reverse of normal; "it's easy to get the `i' and the `e' backward in words like `seize' and `siege'"; "the child put her jersey on backward".
Examples
- She put her shirt on backward by mistake and had to change it before going out.
- The student kept writing the number 2 backward on the math test.
- He often puts his shoes on backward and doesn't notice until someone points it out.
- The word 'stressed' is 'desserts' spelled backward.
- The child was walking backward down the stairs, which made her mother nervous.