playback

playback — noun

1. the action of running an audio or video recording so you can hear or watch what

1.nounB2
Definition

the action of running an audio or video recording so you can hear or watch what was captured earlier, often to check or review it.

Example

During playback, Marcus noticed a strange humming noise behind the singer's voice.

preposition: during/on playback

The coach paused the playback to show Lina exactly where her foot landed.

collocation: pause/stop the playback

Common collocations
  • instant playback
  • audio playback
  • video playback
  • during playback
  • pause the playback
Synonyms
  • replay

    near-synonym; 'replay' is more common in sports and broadcasting contexts.

  • rerun

    broader: a rerun usually means a TV programme broadcast again, not a single review listen.

Antonyms
  • recording

    the act of capturing, the opposite stage of playback.

Grammar Patterns

watch/listen to + the playback

on playback

Usage Note

Often used with definite article ('the playback') when referring to a specific recording, or in the prepositional phrase 'on playback' to mean 'when listened to or watched again'. Subject of the surrounding sentence is usually a person reviewing the recording.

Common Mistakes

I made a playback of the meeting.
I made a recording of the meeting and listened to the playback later.
'playback' is the act of replaying, not the recording itself.
Please playback the video.
Please play back the video.
as a verb the form is two words ('play back').

playback — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe revisiting recorded material, but they differ in scope and register. 'Playback' is the technical noun for hearing or watching a recording again, especially in studios, security, and sports review — it focuses on the act of running the file. 'Replay' overlaps closely but is more common in everyday speech and broadcasting, particularly for sports highlights ('action replay'). 'Rerun' refers to an entire programme being broadcast again on a later date, not a single review listen, and almost always describes television. 'Rewind' is the mechanical step of returning to an earlier point, not the listening itself. So a coach asks for the playback, a TV viewer watches a replay or a rerun, and a tape user has to rewind first.

playback ↗replayrerunrewind

Common collocations

Nouns

  • audio playback
  • video playback
  • playback speed
  • playback device
  • playback quality

Adverbs

Phrases

  • pause the playback
  • start the playback
  • review the playback

Prepositions

  • on playback
  • during playback
  • playback of

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

A 20th-century compound formed in English from the verb phrase 'play back', which combines the verb 'play' (Old English 'plegian', meaning to engage in activity or perform music) with the adverb 'back' (Old English 'bæc', meaning to a former position). The noun emerged in the 1920s with the rise of sound recording technology, when engineers needed a single word for the act of running a freshly cut record to check it.