feedback

feedback — noun

1. opinions from people telling you whether they think something or someone is good

1.nounB1
Definition

opinions from people telling you whether they think something or someone is good or bad, often used to make improvements

Example

The manager asked all staff for feedback on the new training program.

ask + for + feedback + on [topic]

Customer feedback helped the design team improve their product before the launch.

customer/employee/user + feedback as subject

Common collocations
  • give feedback
  • receive feedback
  • provide feedback
  • collect feedback
  • ask for feedback
  • positive feedback
  • negative feedback
  • constructive feedback
  • honest feedback
  • customer feedback
  • user feedback
  • employee feedback
  • feedback on
  • feedback about
Synonyms
  • comments

    more general; can refer to casual remarks, while feedback implies evaluation or assessment

  • input

    suggests contributing ideas or suggestions, often in a collaborative setting

  • response

    emphasises the reactive nature; feedback can be unsolicited, while a response answers a direct request

  • critique

    more formal and detailed, often analysing strengths and weaknesses in depth

Grammar Patterns

give/receive/collect + feedback

feedback + on/about + something

feedback + from + someone

positive/negative/constructive/honest + feedback

Usage Note

Frequently paired with verbs like give, receive, get, collect, provide, and ask for. The preposition 'on' or 'about' introduces the topic (feedback on the report), while 'from' introduces the source (feedback from users).

Common Mistakes

I received many feedbacks from my coworkers.
I received a lot of feedback from my coworkers.
feedback is uncountable and has no plural form.
Please feedback your suggestions by Friday.
Please give your feedback by Friday.
feedback is a noun, not a verb, in standard English usage.

2. a loud, high-pitched, unpleasant noise produced when a microphone or other input

2.nounB2
Definition

a loud, high-pitched, unpleasant noise produced when a microphone or other input device picks up sound from a speaker that is playing the amplified signal, creating a repeating loop

Example

The loud feedback from the microphone made the audience cover their ears.

feedback + from + [audio device]

Ravindra adjusted the speaker position to stop the unpleasant feedback noise.

Common collocations
  • audio feedback
  • microphone feedback
  • feedback noise
  • loud feedback
  • sudden feedback
  • cause feedback
  • produce feedback
  • reduce feedback
  • stop feedback
  • eliminate feedback
Synonyms
  • howl

    describes the specific high-pitched wailing sound of feedback, less technical

  • squeal

    focuses on the sharp, high-pitched quality of the sound

Grammar Patterns

cause/produce + feedback

loud/high-pitched + feedback

feedback + from [equipment]

reduce/stop/eliminate + feedback

Usage Note

The noise is created when sound from a speaker re-enters a microphone and gets amplified again, forming a loop that rapidly escalates. Common in live music, PA systems, and video calls.

Common Mistakes

The microphone created a feedback.
The microphone created feedback.
feedback as a noise is uncountable; do not add 'a' or make it plural.

3. a design in which some of what a machine or electronic device produces goes back

3.nounC1
Definition

a design in which some of what a machine or electronic device produces goes back into itself, allowing it to self-correct or maintain a stable state

Example

The thermostat uses feedback from the room temperature to adjust the heating.

uses + feedback + from [sensor] + to [action]

In robotics, feedback from sensors helps the machine correct its own movements.

Common collocations
  • feedback loop
  • feedback mechanism
  • feedback system
  • feedback control
  • positive feedback
  • negative feedback
  • feedback from sensors
Synonyms
  • control loop

    a more specific engineering term for the cyclic path of monitoring and adjustment

  • regulation

    broader concept of maintaining a desired state, not limited to systems that return output to input

Grammar Patterns

feedback + loop/mechanism/system

feedback + from [sensor/source]

positive/negative + feedback (in engineering)

use/provide + feedback

Usage Note

Frequently occurs in technical compounds: feedback loop, feedback system, feedback mechanism. In engineering, 'positive feedback' amplifies a change (potentially causing instability), while 'negative feedback' counteracts changes to maintain stability.

Common Mistakes

This machine has a feedback.
This machine uses feedback.
feedback is uncountable even in technical contexts; do not precede it with 'a'.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Feedback, comments, input, response, and critique are all ways of conveying opinions, but they differ in purpose and formality. Feedback is evaluation aimed at improvement — it is the broadest and most structured term. Comments are casual, often unsolicited remarks that may or may not carry evaluative weight. Input emphasises contribution to a decision-making process, as in 'the team asked for my input on the budget'. Response is reactive — it answers a direct question or request. Critique is the most formal and detailed, analysing strengths and weaknesses systematically. For everyday work situations, feedback is the safest choice. If you want to invite open suggestions without sounding evaluative, use input. If you are filling out a short form after a purchase, the company asks for feedback, not a critique.

feedback ↗commentsinput ↗response ↗critique ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • customer feedback
  • user feedback
  • employee feedback
  • audience feedback

Phrases

  • give feedback
  • receive feedback
  • provide feedback
  • ask for feedback
  • collect feedback

Prepositions

Etymology

EnglishEnglish (compound)

Feedback is a compound of 'feed' (to supply or nourish) and 'back' (in return). It first appeared in early 20th-century engineering and electronics to describe the return of part of a signal or output to its input. By the mid-1900s, the term had broadened into business and psychology to refer to the return of evaluative information about performance or products.