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.
After her divorce, she hired a new adviser—a woman—who helped her take back control of her financial life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Lisa de-Laune tried meditation, solo travelling, learning to salsa and eating oysters as part of her efforts to "take back control" when her life became tough.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
“The FDA under Secretary Kennedy for the first time in many years is responsive to the aspirations of Americans to take back their health,” said HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Birmingham coach Gus Villalobos was preparing to take back his players’ uniforms this week to end the season.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
If I could rewind and take back all my hurtful words, I would do it in an instant.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
