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
But hurry, prices go back up tomorrow.
—
Destinee Scott, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
Does the clock go back in November?
—Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The movie goes back to the beginning and shows the traumatic childhood that caused Leatherface to become a sadistic chainsaw-wielding killer.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The relationship goes back to Mahomes’ high school days in Whitehouse, Texas.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for go back
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Destinee Scott, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
Does the clock go back in November?
—Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The movie goes back to the beginning and shows the traumatic childhood that caused Leatherface to become a sadistic chainsaw-wielding killer.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The relationship goes back to Mahomes’ high school days in Whitehouse, Texas.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for go back
Cite this Entry
“Go back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20back. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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