feed back

Meanings

1. 1verbphrasal verb

   To give your opinion or findings about something to the person or group responsible for it.

   Grammar: Often with to: feed back to the team. Also takes an object: feed back your comments.

   Patterns

   • feed back to someone
   • feed something back to someone

   Please feed back any problems to the support team.

   After the pilot, the teachers fed back their views to the head.

   I will feed back your suggestions at the next meeting.

2. 2verbphrasal verbtechnical

   To send information or output from a process back into the same system so that it can be used again or adjusted.

   Grammar: Usually with an object and into: feed the signal back into the system.

   Patterns

   • feed something back into something

   The engineer fed the signal back into the amplifier.

   Sensors feed data back to the computer every second.

   Some heat is fed back into the building to save energy.

Word forms

Common combinations

feed back to

Please feed back to me by Friday.

feed back comments

Customers feed back comments through the app.

feed back into

The results feed back into the design process.

feed back findings

The researchers will feed back their findings to the school.

feed back data

The sensors feed back data every second.

Synonyms and how they differ

report back

This stresses telling someone what you found out, and does not suggest a loop the way feed back sometimes does.

respond

This means replying to something, while feed back suggests offering input to improve it.

relay

This means passing information along unchanged, not giving opinions.

give feedback

This is the more common everyday phrase, while feed back is slightly more formal.

Word family

feedback noun

information or opinions about something, or a loud screech in a speaker

feed verb

to give food or supply something

back adverb

in the direction you came from

feeder noun

something or someone that supplies something

Commonly confused: feed back or feedback?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “feed back”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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