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

Wait 30 minutes after the last lightning or thunder before going back outside. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2025

Knight claimed that Pac, floating in and out of consciousness, wanted to be killed before ever going back to jail because of his role in the casino brawl that took place hours earlier. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 1 July 2025

If the Senate passes the measure — and its provisions could change before lawmakers vote on the bill — the bill would go back to the House to be approved. —Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 30 June 2025

Eventually, the woman went back home — and her in-laws were still there. —Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 30 June 2025

Rhymes for go back

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