Princeton's WordNet

1. back, backward, backwards, rearward, rearwards(adverb)

   at or to or toward the back or rear

   "he moved back"; "tripped when he stepped backward"; "she looked rearward out the window of the car"

2. backward, backwards(adverb)

   in a manner or order or direction the reverse of normal

   "it's easy to get the `i' and the `e' backward in words like `seize' and `siege'"; "the child put her jersey on backward"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

1. backwards(adverb)ˈækwɚdz

   toward the rear

   sliding backward down the hill

2. backwardsˈækwɚdz

   the opposite of the usual way

   to work backward from Z to A

3. backwardsˈækwɚdz

   toward past time

   There's no point in looking backwards.

4. backwardsˈækwɚdz

   moving one way and then the opposite way, repeatedly

   The cat ran backward and forward near the door.

Wiktionary

1. backwards(Adverb)

   Toward the back.

2. backwards(Adverb)

   In the opposite direction of usual.

   The clock did not work because the battery was inserted backwards.

3. backwards(Adverb)

   In a manner such that the back precedes the front.

   The tour guide walked backwards while droning on to the bored seniors.

4. backwards(Adjective)

   Oriented toward the back.

   The battleship had three backwards guns at the stern, in addition to the primary complement.

5. backwards(Adjective)

   Reversed.

   The backwards lettering on emergency vehicles makes it possible to read in the rear-view mirror.

6. backwards(Adjective)

   Behind current trends or technology.

   Modern medicine regards the use of leeches as a backwards practice.

7. backwards(Adjective)

   Clumsy, inept, or inefficient.

   He was a very backwards scholar, but he was a marvel on the football field.

Origin: . See -s#Etymology 3

Webster Dictionary

1. Backwards(adverb)

   with the back in advance or foremost; as, to ride backward

2. Backwards(adverb)

   toward the back; toward the rear; as, to throw the arms backward

3. Backwards(adverb)

   on the back, or with the back downward

4. Backwards(adverb)

   toward, or in, past time or events; ago

5. Backwards(adverb)

   by way of reflection; reflexively

6. Backwards(adverb)

   from a better to a worse state, as from honor to shame, from religion to sin

7. Backwards(adverb)

   in a contrary or reverse manner, way, or direction; contrarily; as, to read backwards

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