Feedback

Origin

feed + back.

Full definition of feedback

Noun

1. Critical assessment on information producedAfter you hand in your essays, I will give both grades and feedback.
2. (cybernetics, systems) The signal that is looped back to control a system within itself.
3. The high-pitched howling noise heard when there's a loop between a microphone and a speaker.

Usage notes

Adjectives often used with "feedback": positive, negative, delayed, linear, nonlinear, etc.

Synonyms

• (noise) Larsen effect

Derived terms

• biofeedback
• feedbacker
• feedback loop
• feedback control
• negative feedback
• positive feedback

Coordinate terms

• feedforward
• buffering

Descendants

• Spanish: retroalimentación calque

Verb

1. (music) To generate the high-frequency sound by allowing a speaker to cause vibration of the sound generator of a musical instrument connected by an amplifier to the speaker.The show ended with a riot of feedbacking guitars.
2. (transitive) To provide informational feedback to.His employees feedbacked him a lot more than he wanted.
3. (transitive) To convey by means of specialized communications channel.Customers feedbacked their complaints and some praise.

Usage notes

Some are likely to prefer "feed back" and its inflected forms "feeds back", "feeding back", or "fed back".