take back
Britishverb
-
to retract or withdraw (something said, written, promised, etc)
-
to regain possession of
-
to return for exchange
to take back a substandard garment
-
to accept (someone) back (into one's home, affections, etc)
-
to remind one of the past; cause one to reminisce
that tune really takes me back
-
(also intr) printing to move (copy) to the previous line
-
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.
-
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.
Mess with the data, confuse the algorithms and take back control, at least until the next “Knives Out” film drops.
From Salon
His mission: take back the mine and repay the Mexican orphanage that once saved him.
From Los Angeles Times
Finally, she chose to take back control of her story by publishing a book about her experiences.
From BBC
Some say the king eventually took back his ring with force.
From Literature
Speaking to the BBC, he said with a "stiffening resolve" politicians could "take back control" of the levers of democracy.
From BBC
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.
