go back

British  

verb

1. to return

2. (often foll by to) to originate (in)

   the links with France go back to the Norman Conquest

3. (foll by on) to change one's mind about; repudiate (esp in the phrase go back on one's word )

4. (of clocks and watches) to be set to an earlier time, as during British Summer Time

   when do the clocks go back this year?

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go back Idioms  

1. Return, retrace one's steps; also, return to a former condition. For example, I'm going back to the haunts of my youth , or We want to go back to the old way of doing things . [First half of 1500s]

2. Extend backward in space or time, as in Our land goes back to the stone wall , or The family name goes back to Norman times . [Second half of 1600s] Also see go back on .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

go back

“I wish I could go back in time and change that decision, but I cannot,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

But Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer, testified that to support himself financially, he "had to go back to the boxing ring against heavier, younger opponents", according to CBS News.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

He doesn’t seem to be protecting me from market downturns, and his response when questioned is always that the markets will eventually go back up.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

To appreciate the leap Elliott made, and how he got others to follow him, let’s quickly go back to his first company, which involved AI therapy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

And there was some paradox he remembered hearing about, something about a grandmother—oh, yeah, time travel had to be impossible because, otherwise, you could go back in time and kill your own grandmother.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• renege