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Definition of "backspace" [backspace]

  • To move the cursor on a computer screen or the carriage of a typewriter back one or more spaces by striking the key used for this purpose. (verb-intransitive)
  • The key on a keyboard or typewriter used for backspacing. (noun)

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.

Use "backspace" in a sentence
  • "* backspace, backspace* wait ... where the hell did i think was?"
  • "The backspace is a little funky but every thing else is great."
  • "FYI, if you weren't alive during the era of IBM Selectric typewriters, the "backspace" pad was the equivalent of today's "delete" key, and some might say the group just took a big step backwards with this 37-minute retro-trip."