play back
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To reproduce or cause a recording (such as audio or video) to be heard or seen again by operating a playback device. It involves the technical action of making a previously recorded sequence replay.
Usage
- The verb "play back" is used with a direct object (the recording). It describes the specific action of operating a machine to hear or watch a recording again.
- It is commonly used in contexts involving audio/video equipment, legal proceedings, media production, and everyday technology.
Examples
- Verb:
- The technician will play back the tape for the jury.
- Can you play back the last message on the answering machine?
- I recorded the interview so I could play it back later.
Advanced Usage
- "to play something back to someone": To reproduce a recording specifically for someone to hear or see, often to prove a point or share information.
- The detective played the security footage back to the witness.
Variants and Related Words
- Playback (noun): The act or process of reproducing a recording.
- The video playback was interrupted by a technical error.
- Replay (verb/noun): A close synonym often used in sports or media contexts to mean playing something again.
- They replayed the goal in slow motion.
Synonyms
- Replay: To play again.
- Reproduce: To cause to be seen or heard again.
- Rerun: To show a recorded television program or film again (specific to broadcast media).
Related Phrasal Verbs
(As "play back" is itself a phrasal verb, this section lists other phrasal verbs with "play" that are distinct in meaning.) - Play down: To minimize the importance of something. - Play up: To emphasize or highlight something; or (of a machine/part) to cause trouble. - Play along: To pretend to agree or cooperate.
Related Idioms
(No common idioms are directly derived from the phrasal verb "play back".)
Verb
- reproduce (a recording) on a recorder
- The lawyers played back the conversation to show that their client was innocent