go back
verb
went back; gone back; going back; goes back
1
: to return to a place, activity, or situation
I forgot my phone and had to go back.
I left school but later went back.
Once you do this, there's no going back. [=you cannot undo what has been done]
2
: to have existed for a particular amount of time or since a particular period
traditions that go back to ancient times
3
: to have known each other for a particular amount of time or for a long time
We go back 30 years.
They go way back.
4
: to think or talk about something from the past
To understand, you have to go back to when it started.
see also:
Examples of go back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Previously, proof of citizenship could go back additional generations to great-grandparents and beyond under the legal provision known as jus sanguinis.
—
Mike Snider, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026
While this frosty look has roots in Y2K makeup, the history of blue eye shadow goes back much further.
—Andrea Carbajal, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2026
Before the 1990 title, the Chargers had gone back-to-back in 1984 and 1985.
—Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The championship matchup — one befitting of a Final Four — was close throughout the first half until Burries, who'd missed 11 straight shots going back to a quarterfinal win over UCF, finally got hot for Arizona.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for go back
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Mike Snider, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026
While this frosty look has roots in Y2K makeup, the history of blue eye shadow goes back much further.
—Andrea Carbajal, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2026
Before the 1990 title, the Chargers had gone back-to-back in 1984 and 1985.
—Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The championship matchup — one befitting of a Final Four — was close throughout the first half until Burries, who'd missed 11 straight shots going back to a quarterfinal win over UCF, finally got hot for Arizona.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
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 18 Mar. 2026.
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