take aback

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to astonish or disconcert

Idioms and Phrases

Surprise, shock, as in He was taken aback by her caustic remark. This idiom comes from nautical terminology of the mid-1700s, when be taken aback referred to the stalling of a ship caused by a wind shift that made the sails lay back against the masts. Its figurative use was first recorded in 1829.

Example Sentences

As wine service has become more egalitarian and welcoming in the past few decades, I was truly taken aback to meet such a somm.

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"It's just so fast and so aggressive, so a lot of people are taken aback," he said.

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Sheets and her friends Sarah Borland, 29, and Ariana Diaz, 30, were taken aback by the quiet atmosphere in the auditorium, especially compared to “The Eras Tour” movie.”

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While she didn't expect many female students, she was taken aback when she saw there wasn't a single girl in her class.

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People paying their respects at the memorial were taken aback, with one commenting that, even in Utah, “there are some psychopaths.”

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Related Words

• agitate 
• alarm 
• bewilder 
• bother 
• confound 
• daunt 
• disconcert 
• discourage 
• dishearten 
• disillusion 
• dispirit 
• disquiet 
• disturb 
• dumbfound 
• embarrass 
• faze 
• flummox 
• fluster 
• frighten 
• horrify