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
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
Willingly taking back an inefficient contract from a contender, even if that contract has term involved, is just a more extreme application of this basic logic.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Seconds after taking back the lead, the Revolution conceded an attacking free kick and failed to clear the ensuing delivery.
—Julian Cardillo, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
As Markovic corrected himself, taking back the goal, the cameras cut to the Panthers' head coach Paul Maurice, who was visibly perplexed at the scenario as Devils fans cheered in the background.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
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
Willingly taking back an inefficient contract from a contender, even if that contract has term involved, is just a more extreme application of this basic logic.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Seconds after taking back the lead, the Revolution conceded an attacking free kick and failed to clear the ensuing delivery.
—Julian Cardillo, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
As Markovic corrected himself, taking back the goal, the cameras cut to the Panthers' head coach Paul Maurice, who was visibly perplexed at the scenario as Devils fans cheered in the background.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking back
Verb
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In the wake of the Pretti shooting by Border Patrol agents, Homan announced last week that 700 immigration enforcement officials would start withdrawing from Minnesota.—
Julia Manchester,
The Hill,
12 Feb. 2026
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The men allegedly cased banks to prey on people who were withdrawing or depositing money at banks, according to the release.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With retracting landing gear and a striking look, too, this set is ideal for young ones with plenty of imagination.—
Alexander Cox,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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School public safety had initially reported that a suspect had been taken into custody before retracting that statement.—
Kierra Frazier,
CBS News,
13 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Margaret’s father succeeded him as King George VI, and her mother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, never forgave the duke for renouncing his duty to his country.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
29 Dec. 2025
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Ukraine withdrawing from all of the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and Kyiv officially renouncing its aim to join NATO.—
Andrea Shalal,
USA Today,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Funding public schools and repealing the voucher law.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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The proposals, released this week and which would go into effect in 2027, prioritize making ACA premiums as low as possible — by expanding bare-bones coverage, allowing insurers to skip creating networks of hospitals and doctors, and repealing standardized plan options.—
Bob Herman,
STAT,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Authorities are increasingly denying detainees access to legal counsel and often holding them for days or weeks before allowing any phone calls to family.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Decades later, Faraci cooperated with Modrowski’s lawyer during the post-conviction proceedings and submitted two affidavits in 2019 and 2011 denying Modrowski was involved, court records show.—
Christy Gutowski,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Adapting and expanding upon a lean Don Winslow novella, Layton adds many sometimes unnecessarily complex ingredients to the pot, with characters intersecting and allegiances and motivations often contradicting one another.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2026
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Videos later surfaced contradicting their statements.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20back. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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