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.
“In that environment, they need to take back the 2025 rate cuts.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
The agreement requires the Lebanese state to take back control of its territory a little at a time as it disarms and dismantles the militant group.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
It shouldn’t take months, let alone years, to take back control of public spaces, and Pratt’s criticism is warranted, no doubt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
"If they take back Timbuktu and the other towns, I can go home."
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
But even with all his layers, I still see air between the elastic cuff of his bubble coat and his glove when Ambrose reaches out his hand to take back his hat.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
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.
