hark back

verb

harked back; harking back; harks back

intransitive verb

1

: to turn back to an earlier topic or circumstance

harked back to his youth

2

: to go back to something as an origin or source

a style that harks back to the turn of the century

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of hark back

• remember
• recall

Examples of hark back in a Sentence

the new stadium, designed for nostalgic appeal, harks back to the intimate ballparks of yore

Recent Examples on the Web

Rooms Spacious with stellar views of downtown Manhattan, the Grand Corner King room harks back to SoHo’s industrial past with a sleek, boho chic twist. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 July 2026

Cinematographer David Bauer’s nimble-footed lensing and use of natural light does indeed hark back considerably to the look of those Dogme 95 movies back in the day, as does the naturalistic editing style deployed by Louis Emil Ramm Seeberg. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026

Yet many purveyors of these treatments suggest their origins hark back thousands of years, to the ancient Egyptians or Greeks. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 8 July 2026

With her ends flipped and her top layers curled and hairsprayed in place, the aesthetic harked back to the poodle bob trend popularized in the 1940s. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 28 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hark back

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

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Kids Definition

hark back

verb

: to recall or cause to recall something earlier

hark back to the good old days