throwback

1 of 2

noun

throw·​back ˈthrō-ˌbak How to pronounce throwback (audio)
1
: one that is suggestive of or suited to an earlier time or style
his manners were a throwback to a more polite era
2
a
: reversion to an earlier type or phase : atavism
b
: an instance or product of atavistic reversion

throw back

2 of 2

verb

threw back; thrown back; throwing back; throws back

transitive verb

1
: to delay the progress or advance of : check
2
: to cause to rely : make dependent
they are thrown back upon … native intelligenceMichael Novak
3

intransitive verb

: to revert to an earlier type or phase

Examples of throwback 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.
Noun
Already in July she’s done Short Bandana (okay, that was a throwback), and now this glossy lewk. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 8 July 2025 This, then, was Oasis in the raw, a throwback to their unstoppable ascent in much smaller venues than this rather than the enormo-dome gigs of their latter years. Mark Sutherland, Variety, 4 July 2025 As a whole, this is a cozy throwback that’s just edgy enough to send a chill down your spine on a cold evening. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 3 July 2025 Swaggart’s strutting, sweaty, fire-and-brimstone style was a throwback to earlier eras of evangelism, a seeming rejection of the slicker, smiling approach popularized in the 1980s by fellow televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and Jerry Falwell. Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for throwback

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Verb

1656, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of throwback was in 1656

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Throwback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throwback. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

throwback

noun
throw·​back ˈthrō-ˌbak How to pronounce throwback (audio)
: something that has changed back to an earlier type or phase

Medical Definition

throwback

noun
throw·​back ˈthrō-ˌbak How to pronounce throwback (audio)
1
: reversion to an earlier type or phase : atavism
2
: an instance or product of atavistic reversion

More from Merriam-Webster on throwback

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