taken aback
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His mask had slid off, and Amundson was taken aback by how young he was.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
During his run, he said, he was taken aback by sights such as a North Korean raising a poodle’s paw to wave at runners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
After the destruction of the Verona fire, Teller was taken aback by the support from neighbors and even his competition in the beekeeping business.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Perkins said she had been taken aback by how expensive treatment can be and said she sympathised with those without insurance.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
Alice looked taken aback and, from somewhere behind the house, Bingo howled.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
