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

The nation's clocks went back an hour Sunday as daylight saving time came to an end. — Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026

As the story goes, the resort’s roots go back to 1967, when real estate developer Donald Soffer drew his vision for an upscale residential enclave on the back of a cocktail napkin. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Nov. 2026

While the golf course was the main character, looking like a piece of land that could only be found on a planet not named Earth, Fifa Laopakdee went back-to-back, earning a Masters invite for the second consecutive year. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Pending home sales fell to a record low in September, in data going back to 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 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