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 soon acquired its current figurative meanings. 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
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2025
Overall, the 86 is a modern mecha anime classic and harks back to the likes of Armored Trooper VOTOMS, albeit with a darker and more gruesome twist.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The Uptown Theatre harks back to the history of Chicago as an entertainment capital when the theater was first built and now faces being removed or, most hopefully, restored to its former glory, shining in a neighborhood that has weathered so much abuse.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens Set in a Brutalist building, this Aegean newcomer harks back to the 1970s heyday of the Athens Riviera, with interiors by the French studio Ciguë that put a fresh twist on Greek beach chic.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hark back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hark%20back. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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