: an act or instance of reproducing recorded sound or pictures often immediately after recording
played back; playing back; plays back
: to perform a playback of (a usually recently recorded disc or tape)
Examples of playback in a Sentence
Noun
The band listened to a playback of their first recording.
Recent Examples on the Web
PCMAG, 20 Mar. 2025
Season-to-date, Grosse Pointe Garden Society is averaging just 1.85 million weekly viewers (with Live+7 playback), demonstrating just 72% retention out of Suits LA and ranking last in total audience out of the 11 dramas that NBC has aired this TV season.
—Rebecca Luther, TVLine, 18 Mar. 2025
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025
The late-night host slammed Democratic leaders for trying to spin media interviews, playing back footage of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Dan Goldman, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2024
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Noun
Menu and playback controls sit in the middle, with volume and channel rockers below them.
—PCMAG, 20 Mar. 2025
Season-to-date, Grosse Pointe Garden Society is averaging just 1.85 million weekly viewers (with Live+7 playback), demonstrating just 72% retention out of Suits LA and ranking last in total audience out of the 11 dramas that NBC has aired this TV season.
—Rebecca Luther, TVLine, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
The Southern Section Open Division championships in boys’ and girls’ basketball will be played back to back on Saturday at Toyota Arena in Ontario with matchups that should be pleasing for fans.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025
The late-night host slammed Democratic leaders for trying to spin media interviews, playing back footage of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Dan Goldman, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for playback
Cite this Entry
“Playback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playback. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
playback
1 of 2 noun
play·back
ˈplā-ˌbak 
: the action of reproducing recorded sound or pictures often immediately after recording
play back
2 of 2 verb(ˈ)plā-ˈbak
: to perform a playback of (a disc or tape)
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