go back

verb

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

Brandon Waddell, Justin Hagenman, Chris Devenski and others went back and forth between the Major League team and Triple-A with the Mets desperately needing fresh arms who could give them length. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026

Is Demi Moore going back to her roots? —Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 28 Feb. 2026

All people want to do is be able to go buy their produce and groceries and then go back home to make dinner. —Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026

For context, in CBS News polling going back decades, Iran or its potential nuclear capability has in some form been seen as a threat in the public mind, though often one that many felt could be contained or addressed diplomatically. —Anthony Salvanto, CBS News, 28 Feb. 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