hark back

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to return to an earlier subject, point, or position, as in speech or thought

Idioms and Phrases

Return to a previous point, as in Let us hark back briefly to my first statement. This expression originally alluded to hounds retracing their course when they have lost their quarry's scent. It may be dying out. [First half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Doing so, Duffy suggested, would help to usher in a new “golden age of travel” — a phrase that harks back to the mid-20th century flight experience.

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In February 1947 the couturier Christian Dior harked back to the rosy autochrome with his first collection, “Corolle,” named for the petaled cup of a flower and later christened the New Look.

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Maybe it was harking back to the rivalry between their fathers, who fought a controversial draw in their second and final meeting in 1993.

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And what a contrast it was as the 22-year-old Northern Ireland right-back was the shining symbol of a Liverpool display that harked back to their Premier League title-winning best as Real Madrid were swept aside.

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On Spring Gardens, Buxton's main shopping street, people hark back to a bygone age.

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Related Words

• degenerate 
• go back 
• react 
• regress 
• turn back