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
Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
The star adorning the space above 6 o’clock also harks back to 1950s timepieces from Omega.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2026
For instance, hydrogen leaks that forced NASA to delay the Artemis II launch earlier this year (the same issue also delayed Artemis I in 2022) hark back to NASA’s space shuttles, which were designed to be reusable, Dreier said.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
The classic bikini fairing harks back to the original café racer's front end, surrounding a pair of awfully low-slung clip-on handlebars and dual electronic clocks behind a compact visor.
—New Atlas, 6 Mar. 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 30 Mar. 2026.
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