Meaning & use
backspace
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The key on a keyboard that erases the character just before the cursor and moves the cursor back one place.
Grammar: Often used with the or as a key name: press the backspace key.
Patterns
- the backspace key
- hit backspace
I hit the backspace key twice to remove the typo.
On some laptops the backspace is marked with a left-pointing arrow.
Hold backspace down to erase a whole line.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To delete typed text by moving back over it with the backspace key.
Grammar: Can take an object (backspace the word) or stand alone (backspace to the start).
Patterns
- backspace over something
- backspace to somewhere
She backspaced over the last sentence and began again.
He had to backspace three times to fix the password.
If you notice the mistake straight away, just backspace.
Word forms
| plural | backspaces |
|---|---|
| third person singular | backspaces |
| past tense | backspaced |
| past participle | backspaced |
| -ing form | backspacing |
Common combinations
- backspace key
- The backspace key on my keyboard has stopped working.
- press backspace
- Press backspace to delete the last digit.
- hit backspace
- He hit backspace in a panic after sending the wrong word.
- backspace over
- She backspaced over the whole address and typed it again.
- hold down backspace
- Hold down backspace to clear the whole field quickly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- delete
- Delete is the general word for removing anything, and on many keyboards the Delete key removes text to the right instead of to the left.
- erase
- Erase is a general verb for wiping out something, not tied to a particular key or direction.
- rub out
- Rub out is a British phrase for removing pencil marks and is rarely used for typing.
Word family
- backspacing noun
- the act of deleting text with the backspace key
- space noun
- the key or character that makes a gap between words
- spacebar noun
- the long key that inserts a space
Commonly confused: backspace or delete?
backspace vs delete
The Delete key usually removes the character to the right of the cursor, while backspace removes the one to its left.
Practice
You typed a letter by mistake and want to remove the one just before the cursor. Which key should you press?
Choose one answer.
Backspace erases the character immediately to the left of the cursor. Tab, Enter and Shift do not remove text.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “backspace”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.