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

Instead of getting the entire week off for Thanksgiving, students could go back to just getting Thursday and Friday off, for example. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Aug. 2026

Once washed and dried, clean items go back into the respective sections—and be strict about it! — Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 16 Aug. 2026

There have been times when going back to the future made sense for the Heat. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2026

One memorable entry in our competition for college students was from a non-traditional student who'd gone back to college in her 60s. — Steve Drummond, NPR, 16 Aug. 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