as in withdrawing
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to)
I take back what I said about her: she's not the fool I thought she was
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of taking back
With that in mind, Democrats should still be optimistic about taking back the House, even short of a landslide.
—
Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Steven Spielberg is taking back his crown as the king of the summer blockbuster.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Decades later, Shields is taking back control of her narrative in the form of a two-part documentary series.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and Kaine said the resolution would show Congress taking back its inherent authority from the President.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
City officials and Orton Development, the firm that operates the 45,000-square foot event space, have been in discussion for months about the city taking back responsibility for the site, said former City Attorney Dave Aleshire.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2026
Willingly taking back an inefficient contract from a contender, even if that contract has term involved, is just a more extreme application of this basic logic.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Seconds after taking back the lead, the Revolution conceded an attacking free kick and failed to clear the ensuing delivery.
—Julian Cardillo, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
As Markovic corrected himself, taking back the goal, the cameras cut to the Panthers' head coach Paul Maurice, who was visibly perplexed at the scenario as Devils fans cheered in the background.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Steven Spielberg is taking back his crown as the king of the summer blockbuster.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Decades later, Shields is taking back control of her narrative in the form of a two-part documentary series.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and Kaine said the resolution would show Congress taking back its inherent authority from the President.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
City officials and Orton Development, the firm that operates the 45,000-square foot event space, have been in discussion for months about the city taking back responsibility for the site, said former City Attorney Dave Aleshire.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2026
Willingly taking back an inefficient contract from a contender, even if that contract has term involved, is just a more extreme application of this basic logic.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Seconds after taking back the lead, the Revolution conceded an attacking free kick and failed to clear the ensuing delivery.
—Julian Cardillo, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
As Markovic corrected himself, taking back the goal, the cameras cut to the Panthers' head coach Paul Maurice, who was visibly perplexed at the scenario as Devils fans cheered in the background.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking back
Verb
-
India agreed to draw down its purchases, thereby withdrawing a critical financial lifeline for Russia amid its war against Ukraine.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Investigators said Neves-Valente was a former Brown University student who attended the Ivy League school from 2000 to 2001 as part of a PhD program in physics before formally withdrawing in the fall of 2003.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
School public safety had initially reported that a suspect had been taken into custody before retracting that statement.—
Kierra Frazier,
CBS News,
13 Dec. 2025
-
This series of exemptions is part of EPA’s suite of PFAS de-regulation that includes approving PFAS-laden pesticides and retracting some of its maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) that were the result of years of careful research and policymaking.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Margaret’s father succeeded him as King George VI, and her mother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, never forgave the duke for renouncing his duty to his country.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
29 Dec. 2025
-
Ukraine withdrawing from all of the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and Kyiv officially renouncing its aim to join NATO.—
Andrea Shalal,
USA Today,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Changes include repealing a prohibition from constructing or operating a nuclear facility without an IDEM permit and repealing the authorization for the commissioner to conduct a public hearing on the environmental effects.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The crux of the Democrats’ deception is that repealing 287(g) will make our communities safer.—
Robin Grammer,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Brown says denying asylees due process is unconstitutional.—
Anna Alejo,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The most common complaints include denying legitimate claims, partnering with inexperienced and unqualified service providers, poor service, and slow response times.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Adapting and expanding upon a lean Don Winslow novella, Layton adds many sometimes unnecessarily complex ingredients to the pot, with characters intersecting and allegiances and motivations often contradicting one another.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Videos later surfaced contradicting their statements.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20back. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
