retrace
gb/ɹitɹˈeɪs/ us/ɹitɹˈeɪs/
B2
English
visszamegy, visszafordul, felidéz, rekonstruál, utánrajzol, átrajzol, visszakövet, visszavezet
VERB
B2
1
visszamegy
A2
visszafordul
A2
Usage pattern:
retrace [your steps/route/path]
We had to retrace our route when we realized the bridge was closed.
Amikor rájöttünk, hogy a híd le van zárva, ugyanazon az útvonalon kellett visszamennünk.
After missing the turn, she retraced her steps to the last junction.
Miután elnézte a letérőt, visszament a legutóbbi elágazásig.
The team retraced the path to base camp before nightfall.
Learner examples
I retraced my steps to the shop.
Ugyanazon az útvonalon visszamentem a boltig.
We retraced our route to the hotel.
Ugyanazon az útvonalon visszamentünk a szállodáig.
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse retrace (go back the same way) with retreat (move back to escape danger).
Meaning
go back the same way
Collocations
retrace your steps
|retrace our route
|retrace the path
|retrace the trail
|retrace the journey
|retrace the way back
|retrace the road
|retrace the hike
|retrace the track
|retrace the route to [place]
Synonyms
backtrack (More informal; strongly suggests returning the way you came.)
|
go back (More general; doesn’t necessarily mean the same route.)
Antonyms
proceed (Means to continue forward rather than return.)
|
advance (Emphasizes moving onward instead of turning back.)
Themes
travel
|daily_life
|movement
Definition
to go back the same way you came
To go back along the same route or path that you have just taken.
VERB
C1
2
felidéz
B2
rekonstruál
C1
Usage pattern:
retrace [events/decisions/argument/reasoning]
In his memoir, he retraces the events that led to his resignation.
Emlékirataiban felidézi azokat az eseményeket, amelyek a lemondásához vezettek.
To fix the bug, the developer retraced the steps that produced the error.
A hiba javításához a fejlesztő rekonstruálta azokat a lépéseket, amelyek előidézték a hibát.
She tried to retrace her reasoning and find where she went wrong.
Learner examples
Let’s retrace what happened yesterday.
Idézzük fel, mi történt tegnap.
I retraced my steps to find my mistake.
Újra végigvettem a lépéseimet, hogy megtaláljam a hibámat.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *trace* alone; *retrace* emphasizes repeating the same sequence again.
Meaning
go through past events again
Collocations
retrace the events
|retrace the sequence
|retrace the timeline
|retrace the decisions
|retrace the argument
|retrace the reasoning
|retrace what happened
|retrace the process
|retrace the chain of events
|retrace the story
Synonyms
review (More general; may not imply following the exact order.)
|
reconstruct (Suggests rebuilding an account from evidence or memory.)
Antonyms
forget (Opposite of going back over something to recall it.)
|
skip (Means to leave out steps instead of revisiting them.)
Themes
thinking
|education
|communication
|work
Definition
to think about or describe the past again step by step
To go back over past events, actions, or stages, especially to understand, explain, or remember how something happened.
VERB
B2
3
utánrajzol
B1
átrajzol
B2
Usage pattern:
retrace [a line/letters/a design]
The teacher asked the children to retrace the dotted letters.
A tanár arra kérte a gyerekeket, hogy utánrajzolják a pontozott betűket.
He retraced the pencil outline in ink to make it stand out.
Tintával utánrajzolta a ceruzás körvonalat, hogy jobban kiemelkedjen.
To transfer the image, she retraced the design onto the fabric.
Learner examples
Please retrace the letters.
Kérlek, rajzold át a betűket.
I retraced the line with a pen.
Tollal utánrajzoltam a vonalat.
Common mistake:
Don’t use *retrace* when you mean simply *draw*; retrace means the lines already exist and you follow them.
Meaning
trace lines again to copy
Collocations
retrace the letters
|retrace the outline
|retrace a line
|retrace the drawing
|retrace the sketch
|retrace the design
|retrace the pattern
|retrace the map
|retrace the diagram
|retrace the shape
Synonyms
trace (Often used for copying by following lines; retrace emphasizes doing it again.)
|
go over (Informal; can mean to draw over lines or repeat them.)
Antonyms
erase (Removes lines instead of drawing over them.)
|
sketch (Creates new lines rather than following existing ones.)
Themes
education
|art
|writing
Definition
to draw the same lines again
To draw over existing lines, letters, or shapes again, for example to copy them or make them darker and clearer.
VERB
C1
4
visszakövet
B2
visszavezet
B2
Usage pattern:
retrace [someone's movements]/retrace [a trail] (back) to [its source]
Investigators retraced the stolen phone to a reseller overseas.
A nyomozók visszakövették a lopott telefont egy tengerentúli viszonteladóig.
Auditors retraced the payments back to a single offshore account.
Az auditorok visszakövették a kifizetéseket egyetlen offshore számláig.
The support team retraced the outage to a misconfigured router.
Learner examples
They retraced the money to its source.
Visszakövették a pénzt a forrásáig.
We retraced the problem to one file.
A problémát visszavezettük egyetlen fájlra.
Common mistake:
In this meaning, *retrace* is often used with evidence (trail, transactions, movements), not only physical routes.
Meaning
track something back to its source
Collocations
retrace someone's movements
|retrace the trail
|retrace the money trail
|retrace the transactions
|retrace the origin
|retrace the source
|retrace the calls
|retrace the steps back to
|retrace the chain
|retrace the signal
Synonyms
trace (Common in investigations; may not emphasize repeating a known path.)
|
track (Often implies actively following clues over time.)
Antonyms
cover up (Means to hide the trail instead of following it.)
|
lose (As in lose the trail; the opposite of successfully following it.)
Themes
crime
|business
|technology
|research
Definition
to follow something backward to find where it started
To follow evidence, movements, or a sequence backward in order to find its origin or cause.
Grammar
Dictionary form
retrace
IPA
GB/ɹitɹˈeɪs/
US/ɹitɹˈeɪs/
Syllables & stress
re - trace (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (trace)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: retrace
- 3rd Person Singular: retraces
- Present Participle: retracing
- Past: retraced
Expressions
retrace your steps
1/ɹitɹˈeɪs jˈʊɹ stˈɛps/
fixed phrase
go back to find something
to go back the same way to look for something
Examples
- I couldn’t find my wallet, so I retraced my steps to the café.
- If you get lost, retrace your steps until you see a familiar sign.
- She retraced her steps back to the car park to check the last row.
Learner examples
- I retraced my steps to find my keys.
- He retraced his steps back to the station.