throwback 1 of 2

Definition of throwbacknext
as in fogy
a person or thing that is similar to someone or something from the past or that is suited to an earlier time
usually + to
She's a throwback to the actresses of the 1950s. The band's music is a throwback to the 1980s.

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throw back

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

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 throwback
Noun
Omni San Francisco Hotel’s lobby is a throwback to a grander time. Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026 Markle previously shared a cute throwback of her and her mom in her Girl Scout days on Instagram. Meg Walters, InStyle, 25 Jan. 2026 There’s something for everyone to love, from delicate, barely there effects to dramatic throwbacks. Marianne Mychaskiw, Allure, 24 Jan. 2026 The Manchester derby result and performance were something of a throwback. Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for throwback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throwback
Noun
  • Old fogey-ish, ungrateful and stupid.
    Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2025
  • These are people who know AI and have grown up with this stuff that these old fogies haven't.
    Alison Snyder, Axios, 23 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Israel agreed to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage recovered, according to the ceasefire terms.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Many Cuban Americans were mistreated and would probably like to return.
    Moriah Thomas, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The neighborhood/area One of only three lodges on Cerro Guido, the largest estancia in the area, the lodge has access to all the top activities of Torres (a 15-minute drive away) alongside more offbeat, crowd-free outings to ancient burial sites, Jurassic fossil trails, and working sheep farms.
    Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Analysis of other Sthenurinae fossils suggest a variety of movement options for different giant kangaroo species.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The cold air is then expected to stay in place through the beginning of February, ensuring that whatever snow falls this weekend will stay on the ground for a while.
    Matthew Villafane, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026
  • Only one other player has been ever elected by the writers with 1,500 or fewer hits — Roy Campanella (1,422) in 1969 — and that total falls far short of the average career hit mark for all Hall of Fame batters, which is 2,330.
    Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Age mandates for trees worry some environmentalists Woodlands that are healthy, biodiverse and able to provide food and habitat for myriad species usually have a mix of tree types, from skinny saplings to looming old-timers.
    Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Most old-timers would tell you that Bill Snyder did more for Kansas State than anyone did anywhere in the history of goal posts.
    Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Coleman declined to pursue the case, a police report said.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Across the other devices, both Mac and Wearables, Home & Accessories sales declined year over year, while the market anticipated slight growth.
    Jeff Marks, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Ken Blake Brea Sorry to see Jerry Neuheisel leave UCLA to join traitor and coaching has-been Chip Kelly at Northwestern.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
  • All this success begs the legitimate question of how the once-struggling reality show for has-been celebrities reinvented itself and became a pop-cultural phenomenon that any public figure would be lucky to utilize as their re-introduction into the zeitgeist.
    McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • After a police operation in Rio de Janeiro in October degenerated into a chaotic shootout, leading to more than 120 deaths, Brazilian civil society groups reacted in horror.
    Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
  • Our national political and cultural discourse, especially online, has degenerated into a permanent fever dream.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Throwback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throwback. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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