go back
phrasal verb
went back; gone back; going back; goes back
1
: to return to a place
I forgot my purse and had to go back for it.
After college she went back home.
Go back inside! You'll catch cold.
2
: to return to doing something
I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep.
He waved hello, then went right back to work.
She went back to eating her dinner.
3
: to have existed for a particular amount of time or since a particular period
These ruins go back hundreds of years.
4
: to have known each other for an amount of time
We go back 30 years.
He and I go back a long way.
5
: to think or talk about something from the past
To fully understand the issues, we have to go back a few years.
Examples of go back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Desserts also go back to basics but in a really luscious way.
—
Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
The film opens in color, then turns to black and white as if going back to a more innocent time.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 29 Mar. 2025
The two have an ongoing feud that goes back decades, and after Trump was elected a second time, the comedian moved her family to Ireland.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2025
With 23 seconds to go last weekend against Colorado State, with the score tied at 68-68, Julian grabbed a miss from teammate Selton Miguel and went back up to score.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for go back
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
The film opens in color, then turns to black and white as if going back to a more innocent time.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 29 Mar. 2025
The two have an ongoing feud that goes back decades, and after Trump was elected a second time, the comedian moved her family to Ireland.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2025
With 23 seconds to go last weekend against Colorado State, with the score tied at 68-68, Julian grabbed a miss from teammate Selton Miguel and went back up to score.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for go back
Cite this Entry
“Go back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20back. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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