throwback 1 of 2

noun

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

as in to return

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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
Just last week, on July 7, Kidman showed off her curls again in a sweet throwback photo on Instagram with her 18-year-old daughter, Sunday Rose. — Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 15 July 2026 Cunningham is a throwback to when American athletes were people fans wanted to emulate. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026 That means the most popular looks on the cobbled, bicycle-laden streets of the capital are a melange of matchy, well-fitting staples and edgier throwbacks. — Alexandra Pereira, Travel + Leisure, 10 July 2026 Ultra Lights arrive with the chops and the experience to make the throwback feel authentically lived-in. — Jeff Yerger, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for throwback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throwback
  1. fogy
  2. return
  3. fossil
  4. fall
  5. old-timer
  6. decline
  7. has-been
  8. degenerate
Noun
  • There’s no old fogey-ness to Lorne.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
  • For the benefit of us old fogies?
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of fogy
Verb
  • Two of the starters have since gotten hurt (Ranger Suarez with a groin injury and Connelly Early with elbow inflammation), but Suarez could return Tuesday, and the team has kept rolling.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Then the rains returned, and the home was destroyed again, worse than before.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Definition of return
Noun
  • But there were plenty of amenities to point out—the massage rooms and nap pods, the dinosaur fossil, the wacky sensory-break touches like ball pits, swings, and yoga balls (even if no one actually seemed to use them).
    — Claire Stapleton, New Yorker, 18 July 2026
  • That record sale was a Stegosaurus fossil named Apex, which measures around 27 feet in length.
    — Michael Smith, USA Today, 18 July 2026
Definition of fossil
Verb
  • Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
  • Micron Technology sank 8%, Intel lost more than 4%, while Lam Research and Advanced Micro Devices each fell about 3%.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Definition of fall
Noun
  • Something, oh, like a roly-poly, 73-year-old manager tumbling ass over teakettle, as the old-timers say, when a bat thrown by Vladimir Guerrero clipped his left hip.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 13 July 2026
  • The three-wheelers are a far cry from the old-timers that only a year ago cruised the streets spewing clouds of black smoke.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026
Definition of old-timer
Verb
  • During the initial June 11 to June 20 period, revenue per room rates fell in the Miami area on eight of ten nights compared to 2025 while occupancy declined on every one of the 10 nights, according to CoStar.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
  • MedStar Washington Hospital Center cites financial pressure and declining birth rates.
    — Kendall Staton, Washington Post, 17 July 2026
Definition of decline
Noun
  • In the Seventies, he was mocked as a Vegas has-been in a jumpsuit; in the Eighties, as a cultural colonizer.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026
  • 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
Definition of has-been
Verb
  • After delivery, the umbilical arteries constrict and degenerate.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
  • If dopamine neurons in the basal ganglia degenerate as happens in Parkinson’s disease, movements become harder to initiate and slower once they are commenced.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Definition of degenerate

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throwaways
throwback
throw back
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Cite this Entry

“Throwback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throwback. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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