: 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
Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Apple promises 27 hours of video playback, but if that's not enough, the company has reintroduced the MagSafe Battery.
—PC Magazine, 11 Sep. 2025
Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Pouncey, one of the top safeties in the country, leads the way and Sutton plays back there with him at the strong safety spot.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
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Noun
While not tested, Apple says its engineers were able to squeeze up to 27 hours of video playback – remarkable for such a thin device.
—Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Apple promises 27 hours of video playback, but if that's not enough, the company has reintroduced the MagSafe Battery.
—PC Magazine, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
Miami’s next two games should be easy ones against Bethune-Cookman and South Florida, but then the Hurricanes play back-to-back against in-state rivals Florida and Florida State.
—Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Pouncey, one of the top safeties in the country, leads the way and Sutton plays back there with him at the strong safety spot.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Playback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playback. Accessed 14 Sep. 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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