backtrackers
|back-track-ers|
🇺🇸
/ˈbæk.træk.ɚ/
🇬🇧
/ˈbæk.træk.ə/
(backtracker)
reverse course; retrace steps
Etymology
'backtrack' is a compound formed in modern English from 'back' + 'track' (English), where 'back' originally meant 'the rear' and 'track' meant 'a path or mark left by movement'.
'back' comes from Old English 'bæc' meaning 'at or to the rear'; 'track' comes via Middle English (and influences from Old Norse/Anglo-French) meaning 'path' or 'mark'; the compound 'backtrack' emerged in English usage to mean 'to retrace a path' and later extended to figurative senses ('reverse a statement or position').
Initially it meant 'to retrace one's physical steps' (literal), but over time it evolved to include the figurative meaning of 'reversing a previous opinion, statement, or decision'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
people who reverse or withdraw a previously held opinion, statement, decision, or policy (often used in political or public contexts).
Backtrackers in the campaign drew criticism after they abandoned promises they once defended strongly.
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Noun 2
people who retrace their physical steps or return along the same route (e.g., hikers who go back along a trail).
The backtrackers slowed the group's pace as they kept returning to check the route.
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Last updated: 2025/12/28 02:34