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

Wait 30 minutes after the last lightning or thunder before going back outside. —Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 16 Mar. 2025

According to Bracket Research, 34 of 39 winners of the NCAA tournament going back to 1985 were 1, 2, or 3-seeds — and 25 were No. 1 seeds. —Everett Cook, Axios, 16 Mar. 2025

Trump did not attend the WHCA dinners during his first Oval Office term, breaking with a tradition that goes back several administrations. —Filip Timotija, The Hill, 15 Mar. 2025

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder will all visit Golden 1 Center before the Kings go back on the road March 29 for a six-game road trip. —Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 15 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for go back

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback