# backoff

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The situation where an algorithm or process refrains from taking an action it would otherwise have taken.
2. The situation where an incoming wave passes from shallower water to a deeper area, making the wave less steep and potentially unsurfable.

## Etymology
Deverbal from back off.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/backoff