backshift
/ˈbækʃɪft/
backshift noun: the changing of the tense of a verb from present to past in reported speech.
Noun
backshift (countable and uncountable, plural backshifts)
- The changing of the tense of a verb from present to past in reported speech.
- A function on a stochastic process whose value on any random variable is the preceding random variable in the process.
Verb
backshift (third-person singular simple present backshifts, present participle backshifting, simple past and past participle backshifted)
- To change the tense of a verb from present to past in reported speech.
backshift meaning in Tamil
backshift in Tamil
- பிற்பகல் முறை
Forms of backshift
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | backshifts |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | backshifts |
| present participle | backshifting |
| past participle | backshifted |
| past | backshifted |
Origin of backshift
From back + shift.
Questions about backshift
- What does backshift mean?
- Backshift means the changing of the tense of a verb from present to past in reported speech.
- What is backshift in Tamil?
- Backshift in Tamil is பிற்பகல் முறை. See Backshift meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is backshift?
- Backshift can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce backshift?
- Backshift is pronounced /ˈbækʃɪft/ (UK).
- What is the plural of backshift?
- The plural of backshift is backshifts.
Words near backshift in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: backshift (page history and authors); backshift (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-backshuft.wav.
Cite this entry: “backshift.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/backshift. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.