hark back
verb
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Hark Back Got Its Start in Hunting
Hark, a very old word meaning "to listen," was used as a cry in hunting. The master of the hunt might cry "Hark! Forward!" or "Hark! Back!" The cries became set phrases, both as nouns and verbs. Thus, a "hark back" was a retracing of a route by dogs and hunters, and to "hark back" was to turn back along the path. From its use in hunting, the verb acquired its current figurative meanings concerned with returning to the past. The variants hearken and harken (also very old words meaning "to listen") are also used, with and without back, as synonyms of hark back.
Examples of hark back in a Sentence
Alistair Charlton, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Why hark back to this period in time?
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 26 May 2026
The one-hour special featuring Jack White, Eminem, Steve Buscemi and Jeff Daniels, which harks back to Colbert’s Michigan public access appearance in the first week of his Late Show stint in September 2015, has accumulated more than 450,000 views during the past three days.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 May 2026
Free live music is coming back to La Jolla Cove this summer, and much of it will hark back to hits of the 1960s to ’80s.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hark back
Cite this Entry
“Hark back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hark%20back. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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