Definition of "backtrack" []

• To go back over the course by which one has come. (verb-intransitive)
• To return to a previous point or subject, as in a lecture or discussion. (verb-intransitive)
• To reverse one's position or policy. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It may also lead to a situation in which it is not always possible to backtrack from a citation to a source, because somewhere along the way somebody decided a certain, necessary piece of information was unnecessary."
• "And some may even be trying to backtrack from the political fallout that the desafuero has caused."
• "At the same time, thousands of conservative politicians will face a dreadful choice: backtrack from the anti-abortion ground they have staked out and risk infuriating their pro-life base; or deliver on their promise to eliminate the right to abortion, and risk the wrath of a moderate, pro-choice majority."