SINCE 1828
go back
phrasal verb
went back;
gone back;
going back;
goes back
Definition of go 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.
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