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
For our writer, retro classics like Wonder bread, cold hot dogs, stovetop pudding, and ham sandwiches hearken back to his youth.
—Robert Klose, Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2025
Where some public lands advocates cheer when Democratic presidents have named new national monuments and assigned federal workers to manage them, some Utah conservatives remain angry at those moves, hearkening back to the Sagebrush Rebellion invoked by President Ronald Reagan, among others.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2025
The use of high school students hearkens back to when the bandstand was built.
—Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
As is so often the case with the current president, the episode hearkens back to the 2016 presidential election.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hearken back
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Robert Klose, Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2025
Where some public lands advocates cheer when Democratic presidents have named new national monuments and assigned federal workers to manage them, some Utah conservatives remain angry at those moves, hearkening back to the Sagebrush Rebellion invoked by President Ronald Reagan, among others.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2025
The use of high school students hearkens back to when the bandstand was built.
—Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
As is so often the case with the current president, the episode hearkens back to the 2016 presidential election.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hearken back
Cite this Entry
“Hearken back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearken%20back. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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