backtrack

verb/ˈbækˌtræk/

Frequency rank: #16,778 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

to reverse one's position or retrace steps after making a mistake or facing opposition.

Illustration for the English word “backtrack”

Example sentence

When the new evidence came to light, the scientist had to backtrack on his earlier claims.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 16,701–16,800