backwards

backwards — adverb

1. moving towards the back, or doing something in the reverse of the usual way or o

1.adverbA2
Definition

moving towards the back, or doing something in the reverse of the usual way or order.

Example

Baraka took a step backwards when he saw the snake on the path.

motion verb + backwards (step, move, walk)

Dario put his jumper on backwards and did not notice until lunch.

verb + clothing + on backwards (wrong way round)

Common collocations
  • step backwards
  • move backwards
  • fall backwards
  • count backwards
  • glance backwards
  • put on backwards
Synonyms
  • backward

    identical meaning; 'backward' is the preferred form in American English

  • in reverse

    used for vehicles or machines moving backwards

  • the wrong way round

    specifically for clothing or objects placed in the opposite orientation

Antonyms
  • forwards

    in the usual or front-facing direction

Usage Note

Also used with clothing — 'put on backwards', 'wear backwards' — meaning the back of the garment is worn where the front should be.

Common Mistakes

He looked backwardly before crossing the road.
He looked backwards before crossing the road.
'backwards' is the standard adverb; 'backwardly' is not a common word.

2. moving back to a less developed, less modern, or worse condition or way of doing

2.adverbB2
Definition

moving back to a less developed, less modern, or worse condition or way of doing things.

Example

Many people see the new education plan as a step backwards for the country.

step backwards (figurative — loss of progress)

Without access to the internet, the village risked going backwards while other towns grew.

go backwards (loss of progress)

Common collocations
  • a step backwards
  • go backwards
  • move backwards
Synonyms
  • downhill

    informal, suggests worsening without the comparison to a previous better state

  • into decline

    more formal, focuses on a gradual process of deterioration

Antonyms

Usage Note

Frequently used with 'a step backwards' as a fixed expression. Common after 'risk', 'threaten to', 'worry that'.

3. moving between two positions, heading one way and then the opposite way, often o

3.adverbB1
Definition

moving between two positions, heading one way and then the opposite way, often over and over again.

Example

The swing moved slowly backwards and forwards in the afternoon breeze.

backwards and forwards (paired phrase for repeated motion)

Dylan paced backwards and forwards outside the interview room, waiting for his turn.

pace backwards and forwards (anxious repeated movement)

Common collocations
  • backwards and forwards
  • swing backwards and forwards
  • pace backwards and forwards
  • rock backwards and forwards
Synonyms
  • to and fro

    slightly more formal; same meaning of repeated alternating motion

Usage Note

Almost always paired with 'forwards' in the fixed phrase 'backwards and forwards'. This is the only sense that naturally forms this paired structure.

Idioms

backward(s) and forward(s)

idiom

Moving repeatedly from one place or position to another and back again.

The pendulum swung backwards and forwards for several minutes.

Did you see the cat pacing backwards and forwards by the door?

know somebody/something backwards

idiom

To know someone or something very well.

After ten years, Diego knows the city backwards.

Sara knows her lines backwards for the school play.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four describe movement or orientation opposite to the usual direction, but they differ in usage. 'Backwards' is the standard adverb in British English, while 'backward' is more common in American English — though both are understood everywhere. 'In reverse' is restricted to vehicles, machines, or mechanical processes — you drive in reverse but you do not glance in reverse. 'The wrong way round' applies only to objects or clothing placed in the incorrect orientation, such as a hat worn with the back at the front. Example: 'She put her shirt on the wrong way round and had to change before the meeting.' For general physical movement, 'He stepped backwards' is the most natural choice across all varieties of English.

backwards ↗backward ↗in reversethe wrong way round

Common collocations

Nouns

  • step backwards
  • move backwards
  • count backwards
  • glance backwards

Adverbs

  • slowly backwards
  • quickly backwards
  • cautiously backwards

Phrases

  • backwards and forwards

Prepositions

  • backwards from
  • backwards into
  • backwards over

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in English around the 1300s from 'back' (the rear side of the body) plus the suffix '-ward' (meaning 'in the direction of'), with the adverbial '-s' added later. The '-ward' suffix traces back to Old English '-weard', related to the Latin 'vertere' (to turn). Originally used only for physical direction; the figurative senses ('regression', 'back and forth') developed in the 1500s–1600s.