Backtracking

/ˈbæk.tɹækɪŋ/ · noun

Meaning

(countable, uncountable) The act of one who, or that which, backtracks; a retracing of one's steps..

Definitions by Sense

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of one who, or that which, backtracks; a retracing of one's steps.
2. (aviation) The usage of a runway as a taxiway, especially at private strips and smaller airports.
3. (computer science) The act of building all possible solutions to a problem incrementally, abandoning any candidate solution if it cannot lead to a valid solution.
4. present participle and gerund of backtrack

Example Sentences

backtracking algorithm

Backtracking is used to solve problems in which a sequence of objects is chosen from a specific set so that the sequence satisfies some criterion. The classic example of the use of backtracking is the n-Queens problem.

This grammar only uses tokens and rules, so there is no backtracking involved, and the grammar is a predictive parser. This is fairly typical. Many grammars work fine without backtracking, or with backtracking in just a few places.

Synonyms for backtracking

Antonyms for backtracking

Related Words

Word Forms

• backtrackings

Usage Notes

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

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