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

Can soda go back and forth between cold and room temperature without affecting the quality? —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 24 May 2026

The fact that Ragans went back out to pitch the fifth inning was encouraging, too. —Jaylon Thompson may 24, Kansas City Star, 24 May 2026

Meanwhile, aerospace and defense giants like Boeing, Lockheed, and Northrop Grumman have deep roots in the space industry going back decades. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 24 May 2026

The Bruins went back to work in the bottom of the fourth as Alejandre walked and second baseman Kaniya Bragg was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with no outs. —Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 May 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