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Synonyms

take aback

British  

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to astonish or disconcert

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
take aback Idioms  

  1. 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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Lawyers for victims' families were taken aback by the decision.

From Barron's

The regime was taken aback by Wine's popularity when he emerged ahead of the 2021 vote, and he faced a brutal crackdown that became the subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary.

From Barron's

MarketWatch interviewed Kazin Wednesday as he relayed his experience trying to protect the wellbeing of his team on the ground in Caracas and somewhat taken aback by the intense interest his post had sparked.

From MarketWatch

The lead sponsor of both bills, former state Sen. Connie Leyva, said she was taken aback by school districts using confidentiality provisions.

From Los Angeles Times

Reyes, the former Jefferies analyst, said he was taken aback by how much debt Gary had accumulated.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.