backtrack

[bak-trak] /ˈbækˌtræk/
verb (used without object)
1.
to return over the same course or route.
2.
to withdraw from an undertaking, position, etc.; reverse a policy.
Origin
1715-25, Americanism; back2 + track
British Dictionary definitions for backtracks

backtrack

/ˈbækˌtræk/
verb (intransitive)
1.
to return by the same route by which one has come
2.
to retract or reverse one's opinion, action, policy, etc
Derived Forms
backtracking, noun
Word Origin and History for backtracks

backtrack

v.

"retrace one's steps," figuratively, by 1896, from literal sense, with reference to hunted foxes, from back (adv.) + track (v.). Related: Backtracked; backtracking.