backslashes
- 1Plural of backslash.
Windows file paths separate directories with backslashes rather than forward slashes.
The script doubled all the backslashes to escape them correctly in the string.
Note
The same spelling does double duty. Besides the plural noun, it is the present-tense form of the verb, as in "she backslashes every quote mark," meaning she escapes each one by putting a \ in front of it. Keep the word for the mark that leans back, \. Using it for the ordinary forward slash, /, is a recognized error that careful writers avoid.
backslashes is a form of backslash
backslash, noun: The punctuation mark \, a diagonal stroke running from the upper left to the lower right, the mirror image of the forward slash. Full entry
- Forms
- backslashbackslashes plural
- Spelling
- backslash → backslashes: add -es
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /ɪz/, an extra syllable.
Use it in a sentence
Write your own sentence with backslashes, and AI will tell you whether it fits and which meaning you used.