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
The Sixteen Thirty Fund's relationship with Protect Our Care goes back longer.
—
Hans Nichols, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025
His relationship with David Sacks—from mentor to co-author to co-founder of PayPal—goes back decades, and his ally Jim O’Neill, who worked for Thiel’s charity and v.c. fund, is reportedly in line for a top Health and Human Services role.
—Joe Walsh, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Locals can go back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the Earth as the traveling show Jurassic Quest lands at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
For decades, the community has gone back and forth with the city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on whether to preserve and rehabilitate the historic limestone steps which protect the point from the battering waves of Lake Michigan or replace them with concrete.
—Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
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Hans Nichols, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025
His relationship with David Sacks—from mentor to co-author to co-founder of PayPal—goes back decades, and his ally Jim O’Neill, who worked for Thiel’s charity and v.c. fund, is reportedly in line for a top Health and Human Services role.
—Joe Walsh, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Locals can go back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the Earth as the traveling show Jurassic Quest lands at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
For decades, the community has gone back and forth with the city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on whether to preserve and rehabilitate the historic limestone steps which protect the point from the battering waves of Lake Michigan or replace them with concrete.
—Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for go back
Dictionary Entries Near go back
Cite this Entry
“Go back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20back. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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