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

This one goes back to prior points: working with vendors and partners is a plus 3. —John Werner, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025

In fact, the cooperative has gone back to court to get clarification from the judge ... just like the cooperative's landowners, Detroit Thermal and the 600 condo owners at 1300 Lafayette, the city of Detroit is waiting for the judge’s clarification. —Dana Afana, Freep.com, 26 July 2025

Later that month, Chase spoke to PEOPLE about always knowing his mom would eventually go back to her signature look. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 25 July 2025

After a quick dart to Douglas, Maye went back to the swing pass, this time for Antonio Gibson and then again for rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson. —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 July 2025

Rhymes for go back

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