Meaning & use
go backwards
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Meanings
phraseintransitive
To move in the direction opposite to the one you are facing; to move toward the back.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'slowly', 'carefully', etc.
Patterns
- go backwards
- go backwards slowly
- go backwards into something
The car went backwards down the hill.
He went backwards into the room, not looking where he was going.
phraseintransitive
To become worse or less advanced; to decline.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'start to', 'begin to', etc.
Patterns
- go backwards
- start to go backwards
- go backwards in something
After the new manager arrived, the company started to go backwards.
If we don't invest in education, the whole country will go backwards.
Common combinations
- go backwards and forwards
- The pendulum goes backwards and forwards.
- go backwards in time
- The film goes backwards in time to show the character's childhood.
- take a step backwards
- The new policy is a step backwards for women's rights.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reverse
- Used more for vehicles or decisions; 'reverse' is often transitive (reverse a car), while 'go backwards' is intransitive.
- regress
- More formal and often used for development or behavior; 'go backwards' is more general and informal.
Opposites
Commonly confused: go backwards or backward?
go backwards vs backward
In American English, 'backward' is often used as an adverb instead of 'backwards', but 'backward' can also mean 'slow to learn' (adjective).
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Go backwards' is intransitive and cannot take an object like 'the car'. Only option C uses it correctly as an intransitive phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “go backwards”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.