A throwback is something that reminds you of an earlier time, or something that resembles things from the past. When your dad puts on music from when he was young, you might call it a throwback to his childhood. When a new movie is filmed in black and white like films from the 1940s, it's a throwback to classic Hollywood.

The word often appears in Throwback Thursday, when people share old photos on social media to remember fun times from years ago. You might post a picture from your first day of kindergarten or a family vacation from when you were little.

In biology, a throwback is an animal or plant that has features from its distant ancestors. A horse born with extra toes (ancient horses had multiple toes) would be a throwback to its prehistoric relatives.

The word emphasizes actively connecting to or resembling a specific earlier time. Your grandfather's record player is a throwback to when people listened to music on vinyl because it evokes that era. When a basketball player wears a jersey styled like those from the 1980s, that's a throwback jersey, celebrating the sport's history.