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
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
In recent weeks, though, she’s gone back to her internet-breaking behavior.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The good news for the Heat is Butler went back on the court to shoot the two free throws and remained in the game.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
That's the highest median sales price for any March on records going back to 1999 and marks the ninth month in a row that prices have risen compared to a year earlier.
—Alex Veiga, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
And so, after only three weeks without TPN, eating was out, and the PICC went back in.
—Andrew Chapman, Longreads, 18 Apr. 2024
Jackson went back to the 56 hours of footage, but used it to tell a whole new story, a 6-hour feast for fans, showing the band coming together to make timeless music in their hour of darkness.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
The September 2002 eruptions from Ruang only last 4-5 days before the volcano went back to sleep (mostly).
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
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
In recent weeks, though, she’s gone back to her internet-breaking behavior.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The good news for the Heat is Butler went back on the court to shoot the two free throws and remained in the game.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
That's the highest median sales price for any March on records going back to 1999 and marks the ninth month in a row that prices have risen compared to a year earlier.
—Alex Veiga, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
And so, after only three weeks without TPN, eating was out, and the PICC went back in.
—Andrew Chapman, Longreads, 18 Apr. 2024
Jackson went back to the 56 hours of footage, but used it to tell a whole new story, a 6-hour feast for fans, showing the band coming together to make timeless music in their hour of darkness.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
The September 2002 eruptions from Ruang only last 4-5 days before the volcano went back to sleep (mostly).
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'go back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near go back
Cite this Entry
“Go back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20back. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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