as in withdrawing
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 taking back
All that has raised the hopes of Democrats about taking back both the House AND the Senate this year.
—
Nancy Cook, Bloomberg, 7 Apr. 2026
Monday's trading was a reminder that geopolitical conflicts have a limited impact on the stock market , pricing in the worst-case scenario early before taking back that risk.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2026
Dallas would neuter Finland by taking back Mikko Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell, plus Jake Oettinger in net.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2026
The Chapter 11 filing and Saks’ bankruptcy stay shouldn’t prevent the landlord from taking back the two locations because the leases were terminated shortly before the retailer sought court protection, Simon said.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
With that in mind, Democrats should still be optimistic about taking back the House, even short of a landslide.
—Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Steven Spielberg is taking back his crown as the king of the summer blockbuster.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Decades later, Shields is taking back control of her narrative in the form of a two-part documentary series.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and Kaine said the resolution would show Congress taking back its inherent authority from the President.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
Nancy Cook, Bloomberg, 7 Apr. 2026
Monday's trading was a reminder that geopolitical conflicts have a limited impact on the stock market , pricing in the worst-case scenario early before taking back that risk.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2026
Dallas would neuter Finland by taking back Mikko Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell, plus Jake Oettinger in net.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2026
The Chapter 11 filing and Saks’ bankruptcy stay shouldn’t prevent the landlord from taking back the two locations because the leases were terminated shortly before the retailer sought court protection, Simon said.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
With that in mind, Democrats should still be optimistic about taking back the House, even short of a landslide.
—Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Steven Spielberg is taking back his crown as the king of the summer blockbuster.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Decades later, Shields is taking back control of her narrative in the form of a two-part documentary series.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and Kaine said the resolution would show Congress taking back its inherent authority from the President.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking back
Verb
-
Lebanese officials have pushed for a ceasefire, while Israel has framed the negotiations around Hezbollah’s disarmament and a potential peace deal, without publicly committing to halting hostilities or withdrawing its forces.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Jason Baer, the lawyer who’d shared several cases with Motta, began the process of withdrawing as co-counsel at the first sign of a federal investigation.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Self-retracting nozzles are the most hygienic.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The ruthlessness of the producers cutting folk off mid-speech or retracting the microphone and upping the music volume was belittling to those on stage.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Returning to the guitars that characterized the band’s earliest work without renouncing their latter-day synths, MacFarlane gives Graham’s ruminations an urgent tenderness.—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The association filed several lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the fee, including one that remains pending that argues there should be no cost for renouncing one’s citizenship.—
Matthew Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While Washington’s policies drive prices up, our state has lowered costs where the state has jurisdiction — by repealing the grocery tax and capping child care expenses.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The four measures passed by nearly 2-to-1 ratios, with nearly 14,000 votes in favor of repealing each ordinance and approximately 7,500 votes to keep them.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His complaint alleged that the state’s actions had left him with a financial burden of more than $20,000 per year by denying the vouchers to both of his children.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Pressed by rival camps, pursued by the political press corps, the claims were largely confined to unvetted corners of the internet until this week, when Swalwell’s campaign — knowing the whispers were getting louder — issued a public statement denying any wrongdoing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But detectives say new information surfaced two weeks later, contradicting her account and identifying Griffin as the shooter.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The administration contends this interpretation aligns with historical constitutional understanding rather than contradicting it.—
Carlos De Loera,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20back. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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