hark back

verb

harked back; harking back; harks back

intransitive verb

1

: to turn back to an earlier topic or circumstance

2

: to go back to something as an origin or source

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Hark Back Got Its Start in Hunting

Hark, a very old word meaning "to listen," was used as a cry in hunting. The master of the hunt might cry "Hark! Forward!" or "Hark! Back!" The cries became set phrases, both as nouns and verbs. Thus, a "hark back" was a retracing of a route by dogs and hunters, and to "hark back" was to turn back along the path. From its use in hunting, the verb soon acquired its current figurative meanings. The variants hearken and harken (also very old words meaning “to listen”) are also used, with and without back, as synonyms of hark back.

Synonyms

• flash back (to)
• harken back (to)
• hearken back (to)
• mind [chiefly dialect]
• recall
• recollect
• remember
• reminisce (about)
• reproduce
• think (of)

Examples of hark back in a Sentence

the new stadium, designed for nostalgic appeal, harks back to the intimate ballparks of yore

Recent Examples on the Web

The singer, who’s also the men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton, originally launched the line last May; now he’s expanded its offerings with pieces that hark back to the sea, basing the pieces on mermaids’ and nymphs’ tears of pearls. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2024

The hope that humans might still be able to stop a tornado harks back to the Cold War era faith in new technology, often at the expense of employing knowledge already proven effective. —Kate Carpenter / Made By History, TIME, 19 July 2024

But Sivan’s link with Rabanne harks back even further. —Jennifer Weil, WWD, 8 July 2024

The Infinite Black shade harks back to Bang & Olufsen’s classic designs from the 1970s and offset beautifully with the contracting aluminum driver housings. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

hark back

verb

: to recall or cause to recall something earlier

hark back to the good old days