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go back
/ɡoʊ bæk/◆phrasal verb
return to a place or state
She decided to go back to her hometown after ten years.
She returned to live in her hometown after being away for a decade.
neutral
to return to a place or position
He went back to his office to get his wallet.
He returned to his office to retrieve his wallet.
The conversation went back to the original topic.
The discussion reverted to the initial subject.
Can imply physical movement or a return to a previous state/topic.
neutral
to change to an earlier time or condition
The clock goes back an hour in autumn.
The clock is set to an earlier time in autumn.
Let's go back to the beginning of the story.
Let's return to the story's starting point.
Often used metaphorically to describe revisiting past events or states.
Collocations
go back homereturn to one's residencego back to sleepreturn to a sleeping statego back to workreturn to one's job duties
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Preposition Usage
Always use 'to' after 'go back' when indicating a destination (e.g., 'go back to school'). Use 'into' for entering a place (e.g., 'go back into the house').
Gold Rule
Literal vs. Figurative
Distinguish between physical movement ('She went back to the store') and metaphorical return ('Let's go back to the main idea').
Word Origin
From Old English 'gān' (to go) + 'bæc' (back). The phrase has been used since at least the 14th century to describe physical or metaphorical return.
Usage Notes
Common in both literal and figurative contexts. Often used with prepositions like 'to' (go back to) or 'into' (go back into a room).
Word Breakdown
go
to move or proceed
verbback
in the reverse direction or to a previous state
adverbEnglish Dictionary