hearken back
verb
variants
or harken back
hearkened back or harkened back; hearkening back or harkening back; hearkens back or harkens back
: to go back to or recall to mind something in the past : hark back
—usually used with to
This place caters to Americans and hearkens back to days when the town attracted famous celebrities.—
Barbara Zaragoza
Barbara ZaragozaGreenberg worked very closely with the laboratory which harkened back to his earliest days in the film business …—Ron Magid
Ron MagidExamples of hearken back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nirvana hearkens back more to the punk days of the early Eighties.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024
Leprosy hearkens back centuries, all the way to its reference in the Bible in the Book of Leviticus.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
Before giving the Best Costume Oscar to Poor Things, host Kimmel hearkened back to 1974, when someone streaked across the stage during the Academy Awards.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
The Row’s Montrose trench hearkens back to that golden age with a drapey, voluminous silhouette that can be shaped at will by an extra-long belt.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2024
Critics say the message that small-town citizens will take matters into their own hands hearkens back to Jim Crow rhetoric.
—Hank Sanders, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
The display hearkens back to the days of Jim Crow, an era when state and local laws legalized racial segregation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2024
The sports line hearkens back to late ’90s and early 2000s Adidas football gear — think thick stripes and oversize hoodies — with puffy jackets and track pants in earthy, gray tones.
—The Editors, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2023
The book pairs 50 different noir films with 50 unique craft cocktails, some of which Muller invented himself, hearkening back to his earliest career as a bartender in noir-worthy haunts.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 16 May 2023
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024
Leprosy hearkens back centuries, all the way to its reference in the Bible in the Book of Leviticus.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
Before giving the Best Costume Oscar to Poor Things, host Kimmel hearkened back to 1974, when someone streaked across the stage during the Academy Awards.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
The Row’s Montrose trench hearkens back to that golden age with a drapey, voluminous silhouette that can be shaped at will by an extra-long belt.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2024
Critics say the message that small-town citizens will take matters into their own hands hearkens back to Jim Crow rhetoric.
—Hank Sanders, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
The display hearkens back to the days of Jim Crow, an era when state and local laws legalized racial segregation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2024
The sports line hearkens back to late ’90s and early 2000s Adidas football gear — think thick stripes and oversize hoodies — with puffy jackets and track pants in earthy, gray tones.
—The Editors, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2023
The book pairs 50 different noir films with 50 unique craft cocktails, some of which Muller invented himself, hearkening back to his earliest career as a bartender in noir-worthy haunts.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 16 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hearken back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Hearken back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearken%20back. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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