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

"I don't think you should expect things to go back to business as usual," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Any delivery number close to the consensus figure should be enough to keep Tesla stock stable and let investors go back to thinking about AI.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

One feature asks the models to go back periodically through tasks and consolidate their memories—a process it calls dreaming.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

However, if the original house was owned by the trust, the sale proceeds would legally need to go back into the trust unless the trust document gives the trustee discretion to reinvest them elsewhere.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Now that he saw how it was done, he almost wished he could go back to not knowing.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• renege