Backstep

Pronunciation varies by accent · noun

Meaning

A step backwards.

Definitions by Sense

1. A step backwards
2. (figurative) A regression.
3. (geology) An abrupt subsidence or change in deposition preserved in the sedimentary record due to a marine transgression.
4. (fluid mechanics) Flow over a backward-facing step.
5. The process of going back and finishing a specification that was incomplete at the start of a process, once enough progress has been made to know the full details.
6. A platform at the rear of a firetruck where a firefighter can stand.
7. To take a step backwards
8. To return to a previous place or time.

Example Sentences

There are also times when a player needs to enlist the aid of the backstep while on the baseline.

The attacker steps across his body and places his right foot on the mat. As he does this, the attacker uses his left hand to pull on his opponent's right sleeve and uses his left hand to start his backstep.

Up until now Almodovar has presented us with characters who are past the edge and flying over the abyss; for better or worse they have liberated themselves from the social structures and repressions of everyday life. […] Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown may feel as though it is a bit of a backstep for its director […] because it is examining the lives of the characters who have not broken very far from the everyday reality of accepted life.

With care it is possible to combine a median-of-three mechanism with partitioning that avoids backstep initialization.

Then, when I was a backstep firefighter in the early 1960s, a fire occurred in an old vacant movie theater on my day off.

Note the mirror next to the rear warning lights that allows the driver to view the backstep area of the apparatus.

Tony's smile departed his face and sadness became him. Pete began to backstep his words. He was filled with remorse over what he had asked the Corporal and was quick to reassure Tony that she was there, waiting.

Le Vau is responsible for the jutting central core, while the wings that backstep so elegantly were designed Hardouin-Mansart.

Synonyms for backstep

Antonyms for backstep

Related Words

Word Forms

• backsteps
• backstepping
• backstepped

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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