retrace
verb
re·trace
(ˌ)rē-ˈtrās 
retraced; retracing
: to trace (something) again or back: such as
a
: to go over or along (something, such as a course or path) again often in a reverse direction
The hikers retraced the path back to the cabin.
… an expedition that retraced Theodore Roosevelt's route along a Brazilian river …—
Warren E. Leary
Warren E. LearyHe found his phone by retracing his steps/footsteps.
b
: to go over (something) again in memory : recall
Then she'd retrace memories of her mother, reminiscence, and find enough good things to bring joy back into her life …—Katherine Jones
Katherine Jones
c
: to discover the origin or early history of (something) by going back over previous steps
retrace (the origin of) a word to German
d
: to follow, study, or present (something) in detail or step by step
But there's also a new exhibition in the city that retraces the roots of the Italian fashion industry.—Patrick Boehler
Patrick BoehlerLet us retrace his argument.—José Eduardo González
José Eduardo González
e
: to write or draw (something, such as a letter or line) again
children tracing and retracing the alphabet
especially
: to write or draw directly over and following along (an existing line, letter, etc.)
The penciled shapes were retraced with black marker.
The challenge: Connect nine dots, arrayed in three rows of three, using four straight lines without retracing a line or lifting the pen. —Adam Piore
Adam Piore Examples of retrace in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Google Docs and the ability to respond, resolve, and revisit comments stands as a permanent record or progress on a project—an audit trail of decision-making that can be retraced by the team and other teams in the future.
—Keith Ferrazzi, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
On Sunday, Reed and activists will march from the City of St. Jude Church to the steps of the State Capitol, retracing the historic route marchers took in 1965.
—Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
On my own, I would have been tempted to spend the day following the same bread crumbs, struggling to retrace Mangione’s path to radicalization.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
The rest of us patrolled for another forty-five minutes, retracing our steps through the festival, fielding kudos and remaining vigilant.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retrace
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Keith Ferrazzi, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
On Sunday, Reed and activists will march from the City of St. Jude Church to the steps of the State Capitol, retracing the historic route marchers took in 1965.
—Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
On my own, I would have been tempted to spend the day following the same bread crumbs, struggling to retrace Mangione’s path to radicalization.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
The rest of us patrolled for another forty-five minutes, retracing our steps through the festival, fielding kudos and remaining vigilant.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retrace
Cite this Entry
“Retrace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrace. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
retrace
verb
re·trace
(ˌ)rē-ˈtrās
retraced; retracing
1
: to write or draw again or directly over
retraced the letters
2
: to go over (as a route) again or in a reverse direction
3
: to follow, study, or present in detail or in steps
4
: recall
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