Word.ws English Dictionary

backtalking

backtalking is the present participle and gerund of backtalk.

Meaning of backtalk

Verb

backtalk (third-person singular simple present backtalks, present participle backtalking, simple past and past participle backtalked)

  1. (transitive) To respond to in an aggressively disputatious, often sarcastic or insolent manner.
    • Peter was sent to detention for backtalking the teacher.

See all 2 meanings of backtalk

Questions about backtalking

What is backtalking the present participle and gerund of?
Backtalking is the present participle and gerund of backtalk.

Words near backtalking in the dictionary

  1. backtags
  2. backtalk
  3. backtalked
  4. backtalker
  5. backtalkers
  6. backtalking
  7. backtalks
  8. backtaxi
  9. backtaxied
  10. backtaxies
  11. backtaxiing

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: backtalking (page history and authors); backtalk (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: “backtalking.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/backtalking. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.