hearken back

verb

variants or harken back
hearkened back or harkened back; hearkening back or harkening back; hearkens back or harkens back

intransitive verb

: 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
Greenberg worked very closely with the laboratory which harkened back to his earliest days in the film business …Ron Magid

Examples of hearken back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The 27-year-old bluegrass performer pulled in five CMA Award nominations this year, clearly charming critics with his grooving neo-traditional stylings that hearken back to the1990s. Marcus K. Dowling, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025 With imagery that hearkened back to a preppy sports heritage, high-quality fabrics, and high prices (for the era), Tracksmith projected a vision of running at odds with that of Nike, Brooks, and Asics. Matt Gross, Outside, 9 Sep. 2025 Also known as miner’s cut, this trendy style hearkens back to the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 26 Aug. 2025 Today’s announcement hearkens back to that aesthetic. Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hearken back

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hearken back was in 1900

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Cite this Entry

“Hearken back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearken%20back. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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