TAKING BACK Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

taking back

verb

present participle of take back

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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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.

Recent Examples of taking back Also not on the spring 2027 calendar is Giambattista Valli, who is taking back control of his house following an agreement to buy back full ownership from Artémis, the private investment arm of the billionaire Pinault family. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 24 July 2026 Democrats have said Kean's 7th congressional district is a top target to flip in their pursuit of taking back the majority. — Claudia Grisales, NPR, 30 June 2026 Trading him might be another option, though the market is likely to be thin and require taking back salary. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 23 June 2026 Getting a grip on immigration was a key promise of the Brexiters — their message of taking back control resonated. — ABC News, 21 June 2026 Adding scientists to the corps in the late 1960s, and deliberately recruiting women and Black astronauts in the 1970s, were widely hailed as steps the agency was taking back then towards diversity. — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 June 2026 Democrats can win again by taking back the middle. — NBC news, 31 May 2026 An opposition party taking back control of the government would likely see the abandonment of a warming of relations with Israel and the West more broadly. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026 San Francisco has won five of its last seven games overall, taking back-to-back series for the first time under rookie manager Tony Vitello. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking back

Verb

After intervening in 1976 under President Hafez al-Assad, Syria’s military remained in Lebanon for 29 years, finally withdrawing in 2005 under Hafez’s son and successor Bashar.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Cordes and Haake are keen and tense, their hands raised, but Hasnie has relaxed, withdrawing briefly into her thoughts.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 July 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

The remote control has mixed reviews, with this seemingly retracting from its otherwise glowing reviews.

— Tantse Walter, Space.com, 26 June 2026
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a recall notice that the seat belts in certain Expedition and Lincoln vehicles may inadvertently lock, preventing the belt from retracting or extending.

— Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 3 June 2026

Definition of retracting

Verb

Mark Ford Rosemary Tonks emulated French Symbolist poets before converting to Christianity and renouncing all her own works.

— The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
Corbett, of Palatine, announced his independent candidacy days after renouncing the current state of the Republican Party and dropping his consulting business work with GOP contenders.

— Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026

Definition of renouncing

Verb

Instead of lobbying for the law, Congress should be thinking about reforming, if not repealing, it.

— James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
Advertisement In recent years, some church leaders have advocated for repealing the 19th Amendment, which gave American women the right to vote.

— Chantelle Lee, Time, 9 July 2026

Definition of repealing

Verb

In the early 1930s, the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times correspondent Walter Duranty wrote stories denying the famine that Joseph Stalin’s forced-collectivization policies were causing in Ukraine and mocked journalists who reported the truth.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Human rights groups have accused Iranian authorities of denying defendants due process, relying on coerced confessions and carrying out executions after unfair trials.

— Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of denying

Verb

The last few months have seen rumors which have been hard to keep up with, with claim and counter-claim contradicting each other.

— David Phelan, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
However, as the day unfolds, Venus will align with Saturn in a contradicting quincunx, complicating matters related to affection, money and obligation.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026