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

Saarloos argued with multiple umpires, then went back to the dugout to grab a leather bag before making a slow walk to the exit in center field. —Jim Barnes may 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2026

The conversation always goes back to prices and interest rates, and sure, those matter. —Blake O'Shaughnessy, Fortune, 3 May 2026

Wait for 30 minutes after the last lightning or thunder before going back out. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 May 2026

Proceeds go back to the Agriscience Academy and Howard County Future Farmers of America. —Tracy Trobridge, Baltimore Sun, 3 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for go back

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