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

Even though tradition dictates only a man can carry on the imperial line -- which goes back 2,600 years according to legend -- opinion polls have shown high public support for a woman taking the throne.

From Barron's

“It’s a massive hole in a music scene that is widely regarded as the best in the country. But I’m not sure I’ll ever want to go back.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Cooper was sixty years old, but his thoughts went back to someone from his childhood.

From Literature

Kerr, a successful consultant to companies seeking work with school districts, has long ties to Carvalho, going back to his time as superintendent in Miami.

From Los Angeles Times

Through some inventive structures and a playful rewiring of romantic tropes going back to Homer, Groff stitches together a portrait of a marriage that she then carefully unravels.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• renege