go back

verb

went back; gone back; going back; goes back

intransitive

1

: to return to a place, activity, or situation

I forgot my phone and had to go back.

I left school but later went back.

Once you do this, there's no going back. [=you cannot undo what has been done]

2

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

traditions that go back to ancient times

3

: to have known each other for a particular amount of time or for a long time

We go back 30 years.

They go way back.

4

: to think or talk about something from the past

To understand, you have to go back to when it started.

see also:

go back on

Examples of go back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Another chapter to Sunday’s story was the Reign’s comfort against the Wave that goes back to the Wave’s inception. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 July 2026

Thekla and Willow went back-and-forth with strikes on the ground. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

An array of pillars, permanent marks, the imposing Napoleonic-era Spitbank Fort, as well as the comings-and-goings of ferries and even the hovercraft going back and forth between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 26 July 2026

The Royals led 3-0 through four innings, fell behind after giving up four runs in the fifth before going back ahead on Massey's blast to right. — ABC News, 26 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for go back

• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback