Dictionary

backoff en · NOUN

Etymology

Deverbal from back off.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The situation where an algorithm or process refrains from taking an action it would otherwise have taken.
   • a backoff strategy to avoid collisions
2. (countable, uncountable) The situation where an incoming wave passes from shallower water to a deeper area, making the wave less steep and potentially unsurfable.
   • I fastened the board's leash to my ankle, jumped on and paddled past the backoff. 2012, Kimberly Young Chopin, Metamorphosis: A Love Story, page 22:
   • The surfer is in the middle of a backoff. Paddle for unbroken waves butterfly-style, with both arms at the same time, instead of using the crawl stroke that got you out to where the waves are breaking. 1997, James MacLaren, Learn to Surf, page 82:

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