How to Use take aback in a Sentence

take aback

verb
  • And he was taken aback by that.
    — Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
  • Even Grohl seemed to be taken aback.
    — Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 1 May 2026
  • The fox was taken aback by the small bird’s candour.
    — Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
  • Baker looked amused, and maybe a tad taken aback.
    — Daniel Brown, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
  • But she was taken aback by the nurse’s response.
    — Aria Bendix, NBC news, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Trantalis was taken aback by the news.
    — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 14 May 2026
  • Amanda said she was taken aback.
    — Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Which is why they weren’t taken aback when Pulisic wasn’t among the 11.
    — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 20 June 2026
  • Ainslie admits he has been taken aback by what has come out of his own mouth in the heat of battle.
    — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Lena Headey was taken aback by the place and the people.
    — Brayden Garcia may 12, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2026
  • And so with this, I definitely was taken aback.
    — Clarissa Cruz, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
  • Kudrow said she was seriously taken aback.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
  • Counsell seemed to be taken aback by the question, or perhaps by my showing up to ask him a question.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Joe Vostrejs was taken aback by the boathouse questioning.
    — Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
  • The pair, seemingly taken aback, laughed before ending the call.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
  • The Fleabag alum recalled being taken aback by the man’s brazen behavior.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Dec. 2025
  • Zenovich says that while she was taken aback by Chase’s response, she was also relieved.
    — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 28 Dec. 2025
  • He was immediately taken aback to learn that the process required first squashing the breast flat.
    — Erik German, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Protesters were taken aback by the sight of the yacht, which at six stories was taller than neighboring buildings.
    — Colleen Barry, Fortune, 18 July 2026
  • Some Arsenal fans watching were taken aback by how bold Saka came across.
    — Art De Roché, New York Times, 20 May 2026
  • Kelly seemed to notice me looking perhaps slightly taken aback.
    — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • Rocha says she was taken aback by Samuel’s professionalism.
    — Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026
  • Hembree said she was taken aback by one parent’s comment that their kindergartner spent four hours on an iPad in class.
    — Julianna Mejia july 23, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
  • In a few dinnertime recordings, I was taken aback by the sound of soft, relaxed voices over the sounds of forks and knives.
    — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 8 July 2026
  • Or the Hoppin’ John, by which you might be taken aback seeing it on the dinner menu for $35.
    — Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The more revealing question is why he was taken aback in the first place – and what that tells us about the meaning of relationships.
    — Oluwaseun Damilola Sanwoolu, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
  • The 22-year-old was taken aback, but then went and worked out and prepared for next season, according to the report.
    — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Algerian striker Riyad Mahrez was taken aback when he was told about the record after the match.
    — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 28 June 2026
  • Avant and Svala's family loved the idea — as did all the staff members at his school — but the teen admits some of his friends were a bit taken aback.
    — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
  • He was taken aback by how early allergy season arrived in Nevada.
    — Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take aback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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