play back
To listen to or watch something you recorded earlier.
Meanings
To play a recording of audio or video so that you can hear or see it again.
"After the interview, she played back the recording to check she hadn't missed anything."
To mentally revisit or replay an event or memory in one's mind.
"He kept playing back the argument in his head, wishing he'd said something different."
Very common in both everyday and professional contexts (music, film, voice messages, video). The 'back' emphasizes returning to something already captured. Both 'play it back' and 'play back the recording' are natural. Used in British and American English. The noun 'playback' (one word) is common in technical and music contexts.
Commonly used with
Forms
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Synonyms
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