How to Use aback in a Sentence

aback

adverb
Definition of abacknext
Synonyms for abacknext
  • That said, the World of Dance judge was still taken aback by the news about Tom and Erin.
    — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, 2 Aug. 2020
  • Gavin’s side are taken aback by how close-knit and frank the Welsh are.
    — The Economist, 26 Dec. 2019
  • Fans seemed taken aback that your team wasn’t able to make more of it.
    — Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 June 2022
  • McGee, though, was taken aback by Miller’s view of her speech.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2022
  • Howard went on to say he was taken aback when Gard grabbed his arm.
    — NBC News, 21 Feb. 2022
  • Taken aback, Kate exited the chat and threw her hat in the ring for a job back in L.A.
    — Dan Snierson, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2022
  • In scrambling to find a rental car, she was taken aback by the prices and lack of options.
    — Nora Naughton, WSJ, 24 Dec. 2021
  • Sale was a bit taken aback—he’d never put a date on it.
    — Steven Levy, Wired, 5 Jan. 2021
  • The victims were taken aback and frightened by how big and fat the monkeys were.
    — Yuri Kageyama, USA TODAY, 27 July 2022
  • Yet even a number of Trump allies were taken aback by the RNC's move.
    — Manu Raju, CNN, 7 Feb. 2022
  • When told that he has been described as a con man, Smith seemed taken aback.
    — Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, 20 Sep. 2020
  • Schuler, who had only packed enough gear for a few days, was taken aback.
    — Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2022
  • Schwartz was taken aback by the number of people who turned out.
    — oregonlive, 3 Oct. 2021
  • And Wall Street leaders have been taken aback by the harsh rhetoric of the current moment.
    — Matt Egan, CNN, 5 Jan. 2021
  • Some parents said they were taken aback by the closure of schools.
    — Zoe Christen Jones, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2020
  • Didn’t see any malice at the time, and was more taken aback than anything else.
    — NBC news, 30 Apr. 2021
  • Sarah laughed, and the whole room was taken aback, researchers recalled.
    — Isabella Cueto, STAT, 6 Oct. 2021
  • Carly, taken aback by this abrupt end, pressed him on why.
    — Washington Post, 10 June 2021
  • Turley was taken aback by the fireworks in the hearing room.
    — Washington Examiner, 5 Aug. 2020
  • Insiders were taken aback by the blunt way that the shake-up was handled.
    — Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2022
  • But even he was taken aback by how quickly the response came.
    — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, 27 Oct. 2020
  • But somehow he wasn’t taken aback by the quality of it at all.
    — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2023
  • The teacher was taken aback but quickly matched Jim’s tone.
    — Tom Scharpling, Vulture, 12 July 2021
  • When a staff member floated the idea of a memoir in 2017, Tubbs, who was mayor at the time, was taken aback.
    — Dorany Pineda Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2021
  • Monkman’s work leaves the viewer in awe of its grand scale, and taken aback by its extreme content.
    — Nick Martin, The New Republic, 21 May 2020
  • Smith was initially taken aback by the idea, but also open to it.
    — oregonlive, 29 Oct. 2020
  • Indeed, when the double doors to the reception area glide open, I am taken aback.
    — Jonathan Van Meter, WSJ, 23 Mar. 2021
  • The members were lonely, taken aback by the sudden change to their usual rhythm.
    — Billboard, 26 Aug. 2021
  • Bernard must have been taken aback by this letter from an unknown nun.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2023
  • Meanwhile, Taurus would be taken aback by Aquarius' approach to life.
    — Aryelle Siclait, Women's Health, 2 Feb. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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