backwards

/ ˈbækwədz /

adverb

1. towards the rear
2. with the back foremost
3. in the reverse of usual order or direction
4. to or towards the past
5. into a worse state

   the patient was slipping backwards

6. towards the point of origin
7. bend over backwards or lean over backwards or fall over backwards informal.
   to make a special effort, esp in order to please
8. know backwards informal.
   to understand completely

Example Sentences

“Everybody was on alert because little balls of grease drifted out. People floated backwards, like in the Matrix film, to dodge the balls of meat juice.”

From BBC

“We do not have four years to not do things, let alone go backwards,” said Ken Alex, director at the Center for Law Energy and Environment at UC Berkeley.

From Los Angeles Times

The car was driven backwards and forwards in an apparent attempt to escape.

From BBC

The one-man highlight reel produced a mesmerising backwards leap over a defender that almost defied the laws of physics.

From BBC

"The explosion threw me away backwards. There was blood everywhere. People heard the sound and came rushing," he told the BBC World Service.

From BBC

Related Words

• back
• backward