retrace
verb
Simple meaning
To go back over again.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reetraysSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹitˈɹeɪs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
To go back over again
“We retraced the route we took last summer.”
transitive
To go back over something, usually in an attempt at rediscovery.
transitive
To trace (a line, etc. in drawing) again.
intransitivefinance
To undergo retracement.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To go back over again
Used this way, retrace is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“We retraced the route we took last summer.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “retrace” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.