take back
Britishverb
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to retract or withdraw (something said, written, promised, etc)
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to regain possession of
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to return for exchange
to take back a substandard garment
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to accept (someone) back (into one's home, affections, etc)
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to remind one of the past; cause one to reminisce
that tune really takes me back
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(also intr) printing to move (copy) to the previous line
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Retract a statement, as in I said you weren't much of a cook but after that dinner I take it all back . This usage was first recorded in 1775.
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take one back . Return in thought to a past time, as in That music takes me back to the first dance I ever went to . [Late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Intense fighting took place overnight from Friday to Saturday, before the army and its Russian Africa Corps allies managed to take back control late in the day.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
It’s a way for companies to take back control of their AI, Pan says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
In the letter, he says: "As for the Pistols... they were pathetic. I take back all that I've said about the Pistols... They are just plain bad. Period."
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Father and son then begin plotting together to take back the palace from the suitors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Mr. Skerritt hands me a note to take back to Mr. Fabian.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
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.
