take back

British  

verb

1. to retract or withdraw (something said, written, promised, etc)

2. to regain possession of

3. to return for exchange

   to take back a substandard garment

4. to accept (someone) back (into one's home, affections, etc)

5. to remind one of the past; cause one to reminisce

   that tune really takes me back

6. (also intr) printing to move (copy) to the previous line

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take back Idioms  

1. 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.

2. 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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

take back

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

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz demanded that Morocco "take back illegal migrants immediately", while on Saturday, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he had spoken to Sánchez and the UK was "providing what help we can".

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Father and son then begin plotting together to take back the palace from the suitors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

That argues for a modest correction rather than a full-fledged hiking campaign: The Fed would take back insurance that is no longer needed, then stop and reassess.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

I had to either take back my words or live with the consequences of stating what was becoming the truth.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

• cancel
• reclaim
• renege
• repeal
• repossess
• rescind
• revoke
• withdraw