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

Louisa said this meant he had not been able to attend school full-time and she feared he would continue to go backwards if he could no longer get the same level of support.

From BBC

“It’s really tough to go backwards,” said one studio insider who was not authorized to comment.

From Los Angeles Times

“You can’t go backwards and try to make the world small again.”

From Los Angeles Times

She confesses her route into music - doing a psychology degree first - was "a little bit backwards".

From BBC

Maresca was regularly animated, shouting instructions towards his players and running backwards and forwards.

From BBC

Related Words

• back
• backward