throwback

noun

throw·back | \ ˈthrō-ˌbak

Definition of throwback

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : one that is suggestive of or suited to an earlier time or style his manners were a throwback to a more polite era

2a : reversion to an earlier type or phase : atavism

b : an instance or product of atavistic reversion

throw back

verb

threw back; thrown back; throwing back; throws back

Definition of throw back (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to delay the progress or advance of : check

2 : to cause to rely : make dependent they are thrown back upon … native intelligence— Michael Novak

3 : reflect

intransitive verb

: to revert to an earlier type or phase

Examples of throwback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Less of a throwback, the results looked timeless—much like MacGraw. — Vogue, "That Soft ’70s Style! Shop the Season’s Grooviest Trend," 1 Apr. 2019 Miley's been giving us plenty of throwbacks to her classic character, including some super NSFW ones. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Miley Cyrus Dyes Her Hair Hannah Montana Blonde, and Clearly Hasn't Aged a Day," 29 Mar. 2019 He DMed Cyrus to compliment her on her string of throwback posts. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "What’s Going on With Miley Cyrus’ Instagram? An Investigation," 12 Mar. 2019 Without fail, Chris posts a sweet throwback photo on Dante’s birthday each year of the two together. — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, "Every Question You Have About 'Happy!' Star Christopher Meloni’s Wife and Two Kids, Answered," 27 Mar. 2019 Phoebe wrote on her Instagram with a throwback photo. — Sara Delgado, Teen Vogue, "Félicité Tomlinson's Sister Lottie Tomlinson Wrote an Emotional Tribute After Her Death," 20 Mar. 2019 Fans have grown used to the pair's PDA, so everyone was surprised when Gwen took a break from flattering Blake to tease him with an embarrassing throwback photo earlier this year. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "Gwen Stefani Admitted the Sweetest Thing About Her Boyfriend Blake Shelton," 23 Feb. 2019 Spencer, Princess Diana's 28-year-old niece, just shared a throwback photo on Instagram—and fans immediately noticed the resemblance to Charlotte. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Princess Charlotte Looks Just Like Lady Kitty Spencer, Princess Diana's Niece, in Throwback Photo," 26 Nov. 2018 While 2018 might have been the year of experimenting with everything from black and navy blue lips to full-nude faces, could 2019 mean a little bit of a throwback to the 1960s with a more refined, yet pink-centric beauty look? — Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, "Ariana Grande Walked Dog Myron in Pink Lipstick and a Matching Faux Fur Coat," 3 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

There seems to be a study out every week about the harmful effects of throwing back a cold one. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "How Giving Up Happy Hour Saved My Sanity and My Health," 11 Jan. 2019 There seems to be a study out every week about the harmful effects of throwing back a cold one. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "How Giving Up Happy Hour Saved My Sanity and My Health," 11 Jan. 2019 There seems to be a study out every week about the harmful effects of throwing back a cold one. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "How Giving Up Happy Hour Saved My Sanity and My Health," 11 Jan. 2019 But as Vox’s Tara Golshan explains, the resolution was thrown back to square one after House Democrats helped Republicans stall any action on Yemen until at least the new Congress comes into session. — Amanda Sakuma, Vox, "Saudi Arabia is reportedly outsourcing its war in Yemen to child soldiers," 30 Dec. 2018 At the tail end of the hit, Veritas let the throw back into the infield get away, allowing Jesse Perry to score. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "FBCA baseball team going back to TAPPS state tourney after 8-5 victory," 11 May 2018 As the agent tried to put handcuffs on him, Miranda-Alonso threw back his elbows and ran, the complaint states. — Kristina Davis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Two arrested in separate assault attempts on Border Patrol agents," 12 May 2018 Despite a long day in the sun, Borne threw back on his uniform and met with Keyan on Saturday evening. — Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com, "Dad lauds JPSO deputy who gave son policing pointers," 1 May 2018 In case throwing back an array of brewskis didn’t warm you up enough, a bowl of red curry with spicy chicken should do the trick. — Gwendolyn Purdom, RedEye Chicago, "Chicago date idea: Craft beer festival then Thai food," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'throwback.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.