rollback

1 of 2

noun

roll·​back ˈrōl-ˌbak 

: the act or an instance of rolling back

a government-ordered rollback of gasoline prices

roll back

2 of 2

verb

rolled back; rolling back; rolls back

transitive verb

1

: to reduce (something, such as a commodity price) to or toward a previous level on a national scale

2

: to cause to retreat or withdraw : push back

3

: rescind

attempted to roll back antipollution standards

Synonyms

Verb

• abate
• abolish
• abrogate
• annul
• avoid
• cancel
• disannul
• dissolve
• invalidate
• negate
• null
• nullify
• quash
• repeal
• rescind
• strike down
• vacate
• void

Examples of rollback in a Sentence

Noun

a government-ordered rollback of gasoline prices

a rollback in environmental regulations

a rollback of previous wage concessions

Verb

lobbyists for the industry pressured the legislators to roll back the new automotive safety standards

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This is the first major expansion of Meta's facial recognition system since its 2021 rollback. —Sam Sabin, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024

This subtle shift marks a distinction between the rollback in the UK and in the US. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 18 Oct. 2024

Verb

Trump, who says climate change isn’t a problem and intends to roll back clean energy initiatives begun by the Inflation Reduction Act, wants Musk to serve in an advisory role if he’s elected. —Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Mark Ferrandino, the governor’s budget director, said the administration is asking to roll back some pay increases for adult dental care providers, for example. —Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1937, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1942, in the meaning defined at sense 2