Definitions

1. verb

to assign a date to something that occurred earlier than the current date, often to make it seem as if it happened at an earlier time; to make something retroactive

“The company was accused of backdating its financial reports to show better profits.”

2. noun

an act of assigning a date to something that occurred earlier than the current date

“The audit revealed a number of backdates in the company’s financial records.”

3. verb (transitive)

to make something occur or be effective earlier in time than it actually did, often by changing its date

“The new policy will backdate to the first of the year, so employees will receive back pay for January.”

4. verb (intransitive)

to occur or become effective earlier in time than it actually did, especially as a result of being backdated

“The new tax law will backdate to last year, so people who filed their taxes early will be eligible for a refund.”