as in withdrawn
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to)
I take back what I said about her: she's not the fool I thought she was
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Recent Examples of taken back
Staff recognized the dog, saying the animal was taken in shortly before and was taken back by the same individual.
—
Tim Fang, CBS News, 4 June 2026
And Pino was not the only person on Elliott Key; several of the girls on his boat were also there, waiting to be taken back to the mainland.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 1 June 2026
The family instead spent 10 months in a Texas detention facility before they were briefly released in April, then taken back into custody, then released again — all within the span of four days.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
After being kept alive for decades and sucked dry by the Shaws, Mother wants to be taken back to where she was born — a tree located in a cave in the middle of the New Mexico desert — to die on her own terms.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
There is literally no food waste but what cannot be used is dehydrated and compressed and taken back to Cape Town to be used as compost.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026
The bodies of everyone in his first-floor apartment—including his mother and four other siblings—had already been taken back to Syria to be buried.
—Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
The body of the patient who died in Kampala was later taken back to Congo and no other local case has been confirmed, Uganda’s Health Ministry said.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
The body of the patient who died in Kampala was later taken back to Congo, and no other local case has been confirmed, Uganda's Health Ministry said.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
Tim Fang, CBS News, 4 June 2026
And Pino was not the only person on Elliott Key; several of the girls on his boat were also there, waiting to be taken back to the mainland.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 1 June 2026
The family instead spent 10 months in a Texas detention facility before they were briefly released in April, then taken back into custody, then released again — all within the span of four days.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
After being kept alive for decades and sucked dry by the Shaws, Mother wants to be taken back to where she was born — a tree located in a cave in the middle of the New Mexico desert — to die on her own terms.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
There is literally no food waste but what cannot be used is dehydrated and compressed and taken back to Cape Town to be used as compost.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026
The bodies of everyone in his first-floor apartment—including his mother and four other siblings—had already been taken back to Syria to be buried.
—Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
The body of the patient who died in Kampala was later taken back to Congo and no other local case has been confirmed, Uganda’s Health Ministry said.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
The body of the patient who died in Kampala was later taken back to Congo, and no other local case has been confirmed, Uganda's Health Ministry said.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taken back
Verb
-
Two of those developers have since withdrawn their proposals following public outcry, the Seattle Times reported.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
When the exhibition then opened on May 14, reads the letter in e-flux, attendees received Visitors’ Lion ballots including names of artists who had requested to be withdrawn from consideration.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
What follows are dozens of examples of how those whose names are familiar (or aren’t) and legendary (or infamous) for their actions while representing the state have been embraced (or renounced) by the rest of the country and beyond.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
-
She’s since voted to block military aid to Israel and renounced the group.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
After yearlong protests from farmers across the country, Modi repealed the controversial laws in November 2021.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
Massachusetts has implemented rent control three separate times, with the latest rent control law being repealed by voters in a 1994 ballot initiative.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The governors, Alfonso Durazo of Sonora and Américo Villarreal Anaya of Tamaulipas, denied any wrongdoing and called accusations against them an attempt to undermine Mexican sovereignty.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Mullin denied the accusations, saying said his agency was not racist.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Just last month, the jet retracted its landing gear for the first time, revealing how the aircraft will look when in full flight.—
Brett Tingley,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
-
But the flip side of love for a brand is hate and woe when customers feel betrayed—when the service falls short or a beloved perk is retracted.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taken back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taken%20back. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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