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 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
City officials and Orton Development, the firm that operates the 45,000-square foot event space, have been in discussion for months about the city taking back responsibility for the site, said former City Attorney Dave Aleshire.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 11 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
The National Council sued for an emergency stay this summer to prevent the New Jersey council from taking back operations, arguing that the local group doesn’t have the resources to staff or operate the hotline around the clock.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
Whatever happens next, there is no taking back the decision to pull Kimmel’s show, for any length of time, in response to a coordinated, deliberate attack on him and ABC by Carr and right-wing influencers and podcasters.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Brian Bennett, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
City officials and Orton Development, the firm that operates the 45,000-square foot event space, have been in discussion for months about the city taking back responsibility for the site, said former City Attorney Dave Aleshire.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 11 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
The National Council sued for an emergency stay this summer to prevent the New Jersey council from taking back operations, arguing that the local group doesn’t have the resources to staff or operate the hotline around the clock.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
Whatever happens next, there is no taking back the decision to pull Kimmel’s show, for any length of time, in response to a coordinated, deliberate attack on him and ABC by Carr and right-wing influencers and podcasters.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking back
Verb
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Uhlaender accused the Canadian team and its coach, Joe Cecchini, of intentionally withdrawing the athletes, deliberately manipulating the field to benefit one of their own sliders’ bids for qualification.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
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In so doing, avoid withdrawing NATO’s commitment to defend NATO member states’ remote, former (and, in the case of Cyprus, coincidentally insular) colonial territories was thus established as a norm for the alliance, not an exception – one that is newly relevant once again.—
Barry Scott Zellen,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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This series of exemptions is part of EPA’s suite of PFAS de-regulation that includes approving PFAS-laden pesticides and retracting some of its maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) that were the result of years of careful research and policymaking.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Nov. 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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Instead of repealing the climate scam mandates that are causing exploding energy costs, @MassGovernor is using tax dollars to artificially Band-Aid bills for a couple of months – money which was received through the utility companies (ratepayers) due to mandates!—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
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The changes include repealing a prohibition from constructing or operating a nuclear facility without an IDEM permit and repealing the authorization for the commissioner to conduct a public hearing on environmental effects.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These two teams have circled each other since the Rams won the NFC West last winter based off a tiebreaker, denying Seattle the opportunity to play for a postseason spot before their Week 18 matchup.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
25 Jan. 2026
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While federal law makes Ross immune from being directly sued for assault or wrongful death in Good’s shooting, he could be named as a defendant – and end up in front of a jury – in a suit accusing him of denying Good’s civil rights.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Federal and state officials have offered contradicting accounts of those videos.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
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The group says that carveout opened a political pathway to faster access to federal records, contradicting FOIA’s requirement that agencies handle requests in a content-neutral manner.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taking back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20back. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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