throwback 1 of 2

as in fogey
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 throw back
Verb
The new law also includes a throwback: an above-the-line deduction on charitable contributions. Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 3 July 2025 Lindor had never been an All-Star in four seasons with the Mets, but his past 12 months have been a throwback to his younger days in Cleveland and a reminder that Lindor could end up with a plaque in Cooperstown. Chad Jennings, New York Times, 2 July 2025 Men playing God rarely works out well, and these hybrid Mesozoic throwbacks have good reason to be pissed. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025 Already in July she’s done Short Bandana (okay, that was a throwback), and now this glossy lewk. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 8 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for throw back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throw back
Verb
  • Season 7 returned in early June, and over six weeks, viewers watched a new group of Islanders live together and couple up, seeking love and competing for a cash prize of $100,000.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • However, that was in a small sample size after starting just six games before Russell Wilson returned from a calf injury.
    Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • And some of us older fogies, Joni Mitchell and Carole King.
    Lars Brandle, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2023
Verb
  • More aggressive treatment options Advertisement In particularly severe cases—especially when someone has an underlying autoimmune disease—OTC eye drops and lifestyle modifications will likely fall short.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 21 July 2025
  • According to data from professional services giant PwC, global M & A volumes fell 9% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, but deal values were up by 15%.
    Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 21 July 2025
Noun
  • Due to the cave's protective qualities, fossils, like shark teeth, are well-preserved over time.
    Ruby Grisin, The Courier-Journal, 24 July 2025
  • Vendors will offer beads, minerals, gemstones, custom jewelry, fossils, artifacts, and metaphysical stones.
    Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2025
Verb
  • The important storyline over those weeks is about untapped potential, not declining numbers.
    Lindsey Darvin, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
  • This story has been updated to note the FBI declined to comment.
    James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • Does the town still have a past outside the fading memories of its old-timers?
    John Carlisle, Freep.com, 3 July 2025
  • More deals may or may not emerge – old-timer Mediacom is still operating independently - but none may ever again represent a real realignment in the cable world.
    Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Overall, this study furthers our understanding of glycogen stores and how healthy neurons can quickly degenerate if the conditions for impeding metabolism are present.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 June 2025
  • Trump has met with Zelenskyy twice, the first gathering degenerating into a very public browbeating of the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office.
    Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025
Noun
  • Sonny strides onto the track with unruffled cool—a Pitt signature—and is laconic enough to endure a series of press conferences at which journalists are quick to label him a has-been.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
  • On June 8, Nicole Scherzinger, 46, won her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Norma Desmond, a has-been staging a comeback in Sunset Blvd, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway adaptation of the 1950 film by the same name.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 9 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Throw back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throw%20back. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

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