Phrasal verb
go back
Meanings
to return to a place you were in earlier
to return to a previous state, activity, or way of doing something
to look back to an earlier time in the past; to date from a particular time
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Definition
To go back means to return to a place, time, or earlier situation.
To go back usually means to return to a place you were before. It can also mean to return to doing something again, or to look at an earlier time in the past. In conversation, it often suggests reversing direction or revisiting something already discussed.
Examples
- I had to go back to the store because I forgot my receipt.
- Can you go back and repeat the last step more slowly?
- He decided to go back to school after working for a few years.
- We traced the tradition, and it seems to go back centuries.
- They turned around to go back before the rain got worse.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse "go back" (return) with "come back" (return toward the speaker).
More phrasal verbs
- go on To go on means to continue or keep happening.
- carry out To carry out something means to do it or complete it, especially a plan, task, or instruction.
- set up To set up means to arrange or prepare something so it is ready to use or happen.
- pick up “Pick up” most commonly means to collect someone or something from a place, usually by going there.
- come back To come back means to return to a place or to return again after leaving.