Meaning
reverse gear, backtracking
- the reverse gear in a motor vehicle, or the movement of backing up
- a sudden withdrawal or backtracking on a previously stated position
In a sentence
Fai molta attenzione quando fai retromarcia nel parcheggio.
Be very careful when you back up in the car park.
Perché il governo ha fatto retromarcia sulla nuova legge?
Why did the government back down on the new law?
Non riesco a inserire la retromarcia con questo cambio.
I cannot put the car into reverse with this gear stick.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| retromarcia | feminine · singular |
| retromarce | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- The idiom 'fare retromarcia' is commonly used figuratively to mean changing one's mind or backing down.
- The plural is 'retromarce', dropping the unstressed 'i'.