go back

phrasal verb

went back; gone back; going back; goes back

1

: to return to a place

I forgot my purse and had to go back for it.

After college she went back home.

Go back inside! You'll catch cold.

2

: to return to doing something

I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep.

He waved hello, then went right back to work.

She went back to eating her dinner.

3

: to have existed for a particular amount of time or since a particular period

These ruins go back hundreds of years.

4

: to have known each other for an amount of time

We go back 30 years.

He and I go back a long way.

5

: to think or talk about something from the past

To fully understand the issues, we have to go back a few years.

Examples of go back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The friend went back to his room and sat at his desk. —Ashley Luthern, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024

Start your meal strong with a spring onion dip that will have your guests going back to the bowl for more and more. —Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 1 May 2024

The two go back and forth, prompting Cartwright to start crying. —Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024

The rest of the year, from the second Sunday in March through the first Saturday in November, the cut-off time goes back an hour to 6:59 p.m. —Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 1 May 2024

Editors’ Picks Now, Israel has consented to Palestinian civilians’ going back en masse during the first phase of an agreement, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the proposal. —Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 1 May 2024

Wait for 30 minutes after the last lightning or thunder before going back out. —Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 May 2024

Jung Hoo Lee swatted his second pitch of the game, a letter-high fastball, over the Levi’s Landing sign in right field, and San Francisco went on to plate five runs against Gallen in five innings, their most success against Arizona’s ace going back two seasons. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024

Recognizing that the building may not have been completely empty, though, Bernard went back in to pull the fire alarm, ensuring everyone knew to evacuate. —Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024