Phrasal verb
send back
Meanings
To return something to the person, company, or place it came from.
To make someone go back to a previous place or position.
Definition
To send back means to return something to the person or place it came from.
If you send something back, you return it to the sender, a store, or the original place. People often do this because an item is wrong, damaged, or no longer needed. You can also send someone back to a place where they were before, such as their office or their seat.
Examples
- I had to send back the shoes because they didn’t fit.
- You can send back the soup if it’s cold.
- He sent back the faulty headphones the next day.
- They sent back the intern to the office to pick up the folder.
Common mistake
Learners often say “send it back to” without an object (e.g., “send back to the store”)—include the thing being returned: “send it back to the store.”
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.
- go back To go back means to return to a place, time, or earlier situation.