TOOK BACK Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

took back

verb

past tense of take back

as in retracted

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 took back Mendoza’s first drive ended with his first interception, which Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz snatched and took back 80 yards for a pick six. — Sam Warren, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Croatia took back possession to continue its offensive press but struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities. — Monica Alba, NBC news, 24 June 2026 Some of the companies hit hardest by selling Tuesday took back some of those losses before the market opened. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 One of those picks was off MVP Matt Stafford, by the way, which Jackson took back to the Panthers’ end zone. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2026 In April, Ukraine actually took back more land than Russia seized for the first time since 2024. — Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 4 June 2026 Four years earlier, Lawler, a former state assemblyman, was elected when Republicans took back control of the House. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026 Frost forwards Katy Knoll and Klára Hymlárová were moving toward the Sirens’ goal when both took back-to-back hits from New York players. — Theodore Tollefson, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2026 On Thursday, the Supreme Court took back the case and set an accelerated schedule for the coming week, when prosecutors and defense attorneys can argue over whether to finish the analysis. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took back

Verb

Three others in the group — 14, 15 and 16 at the time — implicated Noling in the slayings of the Hartigs during a burglary but later retracted their statements, saying that police pressured them to name Noling as the shooter.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Only when the United States retracted those measures and agreed to further talks, in June, did China agree to resume exports of rare earths and magnets.

— GLORIA XIONG, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of retracted

Verb

Yermolaiev has lived in the glitzy city state on the Mediterranean coast for several years, having left Ukraine and renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 to become a citizen of Cyprus.

— Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Their virality comes at a time when the very generation that inspired them has largely renounced the label.

— Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of renounced

Verb

Creation, they were told, literally occurred over seven days; science and scientists contradicted the Bible and could not be trusted.

— Felice J. Freyer, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
O'Neill previewed the states' arguments, which rely heavily on internal Meta communications and studies that the states say contradicted many of the company's public statements.

— John Ruwitch, NPR, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of contradicted

Verb

If the rule is repealed as proposed, those prohibitions will go away.

— Dan Peck, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
However, the laws were ultimately repealed after being met with massive agitations from farmers and farmer unions, especially from Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2026