Word.ws English Dictionary

backshifting

backshifting is the present participle and gerund of backshift.

Meaning of backshift

Verb

backshift (third-person singular simple present backshifts, present participle backshifting, simple past and past participle backshifted)

  1. (transitive) To change the tense of a verb from present to past in reported speech.

See all 3 meanings of backshift

Questions about backshifting

What is backshifting the present participle and gerund of?
Backshifting is the present participle and gerund of backshift.

Words near backshifting in the dictionary

  1. backsheets
  2. backshell
  3. backshells
  4. backshift
  5. backshifted
  6. backshifting
  7. backshifts
  8. backshine
  9. backshish
  10. backshished
  11. backshishes

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: backshifting (page history and authors); backshift (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.

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Cite this entry: “backshifting.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/backshifting. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.