throw·back
ˈthrō-ˌbak 
1
: one that is suggestive of or suited to an earlier time or style
his manners were a throwback to a more polite era
2
a
: reversion to an earlier type or phase : atavism
b
: an instance or product of atavistic reversion
threw back; thrown back; throwing back; throws back
1
: to delay the progress or advance of : check
2
: to cause to rely : make dependent
they are thrown back upon … native intelligence—
Michael Novak
Michael Novak3
: reflect
: to revert to an earlier type or phase
Examples of throwback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
David Gilbert, Wired News, 27 Mar. 2025
At the very least, the performance was a throwback to the early days when his team lost to Türkiye (2-3) and Austria (0-2) in the fall of 2023.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
But when the man’s mother arrives on his doorstep weeks before Christmas, the two are thrown back into each other’s orbit for the first time in a decade.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for throwback
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Noun
Another complainant alleges the lack of white people was somehow a throwback to a previous era, as if there was another period in history when only Black people performed at Super Bowl halftime shows.
—David Gilbert, Wired News, 27 Mar. 2025
At the very least, the performance was a throwback to the early days when his team lost to Türkiye (2-3) and Austria (0-2) in the fall of 2023.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
With each time warp, he’s thrown back further and further into the bodies of his most influential ancestors.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
But when the man’s mother arrives on his doorstep weeks before Christmas, the two are thrown back into each other’s orbit for the first time in a decade.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for throwback
Cite this Entry
“Throwback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throwback. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
throwback
noun
throw·back
ˈthrō-ˌbak
: something that has changed back to an earlier type or phase
Medical Definition
throwback
noun
throw·back
ˈthrō-ˌbak
1
: reversion to an earlier type or phase : atavism
2
: an instance or product of atavistic reversion
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