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
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Recent Examples of took back
Sweden took back the lead in the fourth end of the mixed doubles curling final, scoring a point to pull ahead 3-2 in a close match.
—
Sean Nevin, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
That was the Year Zero moment, the sudden rupture when the Lewis family took back control of the club.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
And only Shaheed took back both a kick and a punt for a TD.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
When Tarasenko scored just 68 seconds into the middle frame, then Buffalo took back-to-back penalties, the Wild were in complete control and looking for a three-goal lead.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 17 Jan. 2026
Detroit took back-to-back penalties, but Ottawa failed to capitalize and gave up a short-handed goal on a Giroux giveaway that led to a 2-on-1 with Rasmussen beating Hunter Shepard, who gave up two goals on 12 shots.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
The Tuna King took back his crown during Monday’s buzzy pre-dawn sale, eclipsing his own record from 2019 by hundreds of thousands.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2026
But Utah's Republican supermajority Legislature, instead, took back redistricting power, largely nullifying the ballot initiative.
—Saige Miller, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Swayman shrugged off the softy and several key stops early in the third period when the B’s took back-to-back penalties.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Sean Nevin, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
That was the Year Zero moment, the sudden rupture when the Lewis family took back control of the club.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
And only Shaheed took back both a kick and a punt for a TD.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
When Tarasenko scored just 68 seconds into the middle frame, then Buffalo took back-to-back penalties, the Wild were in complete control and looking for a three-goal lead.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 17 Jan. 2026
Detroit took back-to-back penalties, but Ottawa failed to capitalize and gave up a short-handed goal on a Giroux giveaway that led to a 2-on-1 with Rasmussen beating Hunter Shepard, who gave up two goals on 12 shots.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
The Tuna King took back his crown during Monday’s buzzy pre-dawn sale, eclipsing his own record from 2019 by hundreds of thousands.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2026
But Utah's Republican supermajority Legislature, instead, took back redistricting power, largely nullifying the ballot initiative.
—Saige Miller, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Swayman shrugged off the softy and several key stops early in the third period when the B’s took back-to-back penalties.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for took back
Verb
-
The strongback support has retracted for launch.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Warsama traces the issue back more than a decade, when discredited researcher Andrew Wakefield published his study — since retracted — claiming a link between autism and the MMR vaccine.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
China has invested little in Russia’s economy, and nowhere near the amount that the West withdrew after Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.—
Alan Cullison,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
-
After the candidates’ names were leaked to WBEZ/Sun-Times and Chalkbeat, the process effectively ground to a halt and one of them withdrew his name.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Gaetano Milano, a sharpshooting young gangster who renounced the mafia and experienced a religious rebirth after gunning down one of New England’s most ruthless mob bosses, died early this week.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
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Born rich, yet sought a life of poverty Born into a merchant family in the Umbrian town of Assisi, in present-day Italy, around 1181, Francis famously renounced his family’s wealth.—
Vanessa Corcoran,
The Conversation,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Along the way, people both inside and outside the union have labeled Meyer as a puppet of powerful agent Scott Boras, a charge both Boras and Meyer have vigorously denied.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Yoon, who can appeal the ruling, had denied the insurrection charge, saying his imposition of martial law was meant to alert the public to paralysing political gridlock caused by the opposition party’s majority in the National Assembly and its impeachment of several senior officials.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Federal prosecutors dropped charges against two Venezuelan men — who had been accused of attacking one of the officers with a snow shovel and broom handle — after video evidence contradicted the officers’ sworn testimony.—
Jim Mustian,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
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Several videos from the scene contradicted McLaughlin’s public statements.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This law, which includes stricter punishments for those who don't comply, repealed a 2001 ordinance on kite flying.—
Betsy Joles,
NPR,
14 Feb. 2026
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In a 2014 editorial, the Times argued the federal ban on the drug should be repealed, and the decision should be left up to the individual states.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Took back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20back. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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