TOOK BACK Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

took back

verb

past tense of take back

as in retracted

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

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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 took back Jacksonville, which entered the game with just 15 penalties across its first three games, was flagged 10 times for 100 yards in the first half, including on plays that took back a pair of Tuten touchdowns due to offensive holding. — Zak Keefer, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Croatia took back possession to continue its offensive press but struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities. — Monica Alba, NBC news, 24 June 2026 Some of the companies hit hardest by selling Tuesday took back some of those losses before the market opened. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 One of those picks was off MVP Matt Stafford, by the way, which Jackson took back to the Panthers’ end zone. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2026 In April, Ukraine actually took back more land than Russia seized for the first time since 2024. — Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 4 June 2026 Four years earlier, Lawler, a former state assemblyman, was elected when Republicans took back control of the House. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026 Frost forwards Katy Knoll and Klára Hymlárová were moving toward the Sirens’ goal when both took back-to-back hits from New York players. — Theodore Tollefson, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2026 On Thursday, the Supreme Court took back the case and set an accelerated schedule for the coming week, when prosecutors and defense attorneys can argue over whether to finish the analysis. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took back

Verb

The analysis shows how severely the department’s Office for Civil Rights has retracted from its mission, launching an average of about 100 new investigations a month — 1,839 total from Inauguration Day in 2025 through July 2026.

— Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026
And not all of the proofs were certified as correct by the automatic logic verification platform Lean—in fact, some have already been retracted after outside scientists found mistakes.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of retracted

Verb

In July, Cooper withdrew her petition to sponsor Jean Louis' visa, according to documents reviewed by Fox29.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
As that enormous dome thinned through the Holocene, its margin withdrew up onto Baffin Island, and what’s left today is the deflated core of something that was once two miles thick.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of withdrew

Verb

The great religious thinkers of Antiquity—from Gautama to Pythagoras to Jesus—taught that property should be renounced or held in common.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
China claims Taiwan as its sovereign territory and has never renounced the use of force to achieve unification.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of renounced

Verb

Opposition activists have accused Venezuela's government of blocking Machado's return, a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Opposition activists have accused Venezuela’s government of blocking Machado’s return, a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities.

— Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of denied

Verb

Another questioned whether the move contradicted Fox's earlier public comments about objectification.

— Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Criminal charges against the ICE officer who drove the vehicle are being considered by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, after surveillance footage contradicted ICE’s claim that Parra Hernandez stepped in front of the vehicle.

— Lekan Oyekanmi, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of contradicted

Verb

Concerns over fatal accidents involving children helped turn public opinion against the infamous experiment, which Congress repealed within the year.

— Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
The Independent Payment Advisory Board, which was supposed to force automatic Medicare cuts if spending exceeded target growth rates, was repealed in 2018 without ever becoming operational.

— Dana P. Goldman, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026