taken aback
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Taken aback, I responded that I was merely a lawyer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026
Taken aback by her boldness, Singh asked Roy to meet him the following day and narrate the idea in less than 10 minutes.
From BBC • Sep. 20, 2025
Taken aback, he asked how that could be.
From Slate • Jan. 26, 2024
Taken aback by the Presley’s inquiry, Gould said he replied: “Shut up, Elvis.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2023
Taken aback, Adamson snapped, “All right, you’ll get your money.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
