as in suddenly
without warning
completely taken aback by the neighbors' announcement that they were moving
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Recent Examples of aback
But even the internet was taken aback by the couple’s situation as much as Ramsey was.
—
Jane Thier, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2023
Yeni Sanchez was hoping to buy soup for lunch and was taken aback by the closure, given the high amount of security.
—Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2023
House Democrats received no comparable head’s up. Democrats were taken aback by the abruptness of Biden’s shift.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 7 Apr. 2023
The woman who opened the door was smiling, and blond, which took Deanna aback—the adoption paperwork had said that her hair was dark, like Deanna’s.
—Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for aback 
Jane Thier, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2023
Yeni Sanchez was hoping to buy soup for lunch and was taken aback by the closure, given the high amount of security.
—Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2023
House Democrats received no comparable head’s up. Democrats were taken aback by the abruptness of Biden’s shift.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 7 Apr. 2023
The woman who opened the door was smiling, and blond, which took Deanna aback—the adoption paperwork had said that her hair was dark, like Deanna’s.
—Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for aback
Thesaurus Entries Near aback
Cite this Entry
“Aback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aback. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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