The Phrasal Verb 'Take Back' Explained
- Phrasal Verbs Explained
- 5 days ago
- 11 min read
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'take back' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them.
In this post, I explain the phrasal verb 'take back' and all of the different ways that you can use it in English. For each one, I provide you with lots of example sentences to give you an idea of how it is used and in which contexts, helping you to impress all of your friends and colleagues with your impressive phrasal verb skills! So, without further ado, let's make a start...
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THE BASICS
TAKE BACK: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 5 |
Past tense forms | Took back / Taken back |
Separable? | Yes |
To begin our exploration of the phrasal verb 'take back', let's first consider the different meanings of the words that it consists of: 'take' and 'back'.
The verb 'to take' is one of the most common and useful verbs in English and has a number of different meanings. These include removing something from a place with your hands, physically capturing something, transporting something to a different place and travelling on public transport. Like most of the most common verbs in English, 'to take' is an irregular verb....sorry!
Please take a pen from the box.
Someone has taken my coat from the cloakroom!
The army is trying to take the city.
The prisoner will be taken from the court to the prison tomorrow.
Can you take me to school in the morning, Dad? I don't want to take the bus.
The prepositional particle 'back' is one that is used in phrasal verb constructions typically to convey the ideas of returning (come back), reversing an action (pull back), and responding (call back). As we go through the different meanings of 'take back', we will see many of these themes arising.
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's consider the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'take back'.
MEANING 1: To return something
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Lower intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To return, to give back, to exchange |
Separable? | Yes |
If we take the literal meaning of the words 'take' and 'back' and combine them, we arrive at the first meaning of our phrasal verb 'take back', which is transporting or returning something to a place where it previously was.
This usage is separable and it is possible to place nouns and pronouns between 'take' and 'back' or after them without changing the meaning.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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In a general sense, this application can be used to describe any time we physically transport a person or thing back to a place that it came from or was at an earlier point in time.
For example, my cat, Arthur (pictured), has an ongoing health problem that means that he needs to visit the vets from time to time. If he goes to the vets and then has to go back again some time later for a check-up, we take him back there as he can't get there by himself (and he hates it, so he wouldn't go!).
Another example would be if a friend or relative comes to stay with you. If you drive them home in your car, you can say that you take them back.
I'm only here for the weekend, my brother is taking me back to Scotland on Monday.
Where did you find that? Take it back to where you found it!
Tamsin left her purse in the cinema, so her husband had to take her back there to see if she could find it again.
We can also use this first application in a more specific way and this may prove to be very useful for any of you who enjoy shopping as it is to return goods or products to a shop (store). This is either to obtain a refund or to request an exchange for something else, maybe because the product is damaged, it does not fit well or is unsatisfactory in some way.
I need to take this shirt back; it doesn’t fit me.
Sue took back the blender because it stopped working after one use.
If you’re not happy with the purchase, you can take it back within 30 days.
They wouldn’t let me take the item back without a receipt.
After realising the product was damaged, Sam decided to take it back the next day.
Lesley decided to take the gift back after realising he already had one.
This does not just apply to shops and can be used to refer to returning borrowed books to a library or rental cars to a rental company.
He took back the book he borrowed from the library.
When we took the car back to the depot, nobody was there and so we had to wait an hour for someone to show up.
MEANING 2: To allow someone to return
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To have back, to allow to return |
Separable? | Yes |
Let's move on to our second application of 'take back' now, which is concerned with romance and matters of the heart and means to allow someone to return....
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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Most commonly, we use 'take back' in this way when talking about a romantic relationship in which the couple have temporarily separated or broken up. This separation usually happens because one partner has done something wrong, like having a relationship with someone else or lying about something serious. If the "good' partner (who didn't do anything wrong) decides to resume their relationship with the "bad" partner and lets him or her return to their life, we would say that they take them back.
Even after Roger cheated, Lisa considered taking him back.
I don’t know if I could ever take someone back who hurt me like that.
Andrew kept calling and texting, begging his ex-partner to take him back.
Lucy's friends warned her not to take him back, but she followed her heart.
After a long conversation, they agreed to give it another try and she took him back.
Paul realised how much he missed John and asked if he would take him back.
Lorraine said she would only take Alan back if he proved he had changed.
Steve broke Nicola's trust and she’s not sure she can ever take him back again.
Moreover, this application of 'take back' can also be used to talk about workplaces and educational institutions when employees or students are permitted to return to work or study following a period of suspension or after being fired. Like with the romantic usage of this application, we only use this when the company, school or university decides to let the person come back.
The company finally decided to take the former Finance Manager back after she apologised for her mistake.
The school agreed to take back the student after a formal hearing.
They took him back into the team after realising they needed his skills.
The coach said he wouldn’t take back any player who broke team rules.
The university took the student back after a year-long suspension.
MEANING 3: To reclaim possession of something
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To reclaim, to retake, to recapture, to retrieve, to recover |
Separable? | Yes |
Another meaning of the phrasal verb 'take back' is to reclaim possession of something and for this application, I am taking you back to the shops....
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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To begin, let's return to the idea of a person taking something back to a shop but now flip it and consider it from the perspective of the shop. If the shop assistant agrees for the customer to return an item, then we can say that the shop is taking the item back as they will become the owners of it again.
This idea of owning or controlling something or having it in your possession again after a period of time without it is the key idea in this application. Essentially, the object in question belongs to someone and so they want it back.
Often, this can simply be a nice and peaceful exchange, for example if someone borrows something from you and gives it you back when they have finished with it. However, perhaps more commonly, there is often an element of force or unpleasantness involved with the action of taking something back. Examples of this might be when a company takes back something that you have been renting as you miss your payments or when a national army fights to regain possession of a city or land that was once a part of their country.
The landlord took back the apartment after the tenant broke the lease.
Penelope took her necklace back after lending it to her friend for the party.
The company took the equipment back once the contract ended.
He took back his offer when he realised the deal wasn’t fair.
They took back control of the land after years of dispute.
The bank took back the car because Mark stopped making payments.
The army took back the city after a fierce battle.
Claire tried to take back her phone from her younger brother.
Winston demanded to take back the painting he had loaned to the gallery.
MEANING 4: To retract something
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To retract, to rescind, to withdraw |
Separable? | Yes |
Have you ever said something in the past that you have regretted and wished you had never said? I have done this so many times and the reason that I am telling you this is because this next application of 'take back' means to retract something that you have said or thought.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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For this application of 'take back', I am dividing it into different categories, which we will call informal and formal.
Let's first consider when we use 'take back' informally, which is when we say things in our everyday lives to our friends and family in an informal or casual setting and then later regret saying them. This may be because we said something insulting when we were angry and upset and didn't really mean it or because our opinions on a subject have changed and we now do not agree with our previous statements.
I didn’t mean what I said; I'm sorry and I take it back.
John called his sister a liar but quickly tried to take back his words.
Miriam regretted the insult and wished she could take it back.
You can’t just say hurtful things and then take them back like nothing happened.
Simon laughed at the joke, then realised it had offended a few of the people around him but it was too late to took it back.
I said something stupid and I totally take it back.
It is also possible to use this application when someone says something offensive to you and you want them to apologise or even change what they said. In such cases, we might say in a shocked or angry tone "take that back!". If we are feeling particularly hurt, we may even add the words "this instant" or "at once" to make it stronger.
Take that back at once and don't ever speak to your mother like that again!
Take that back! You don't mean it!
One other expression that we use with this application when we completely change our mind about something and now do not agree with what we said in the past is "I take it all back".
I take it all back now that I've read the artist's autobiography; I was completely wrong about her!
Let's now think about the formal usage of 'take back', which is specifically used in reference to people who speak publicly or who publish content for mass audiences to watch or read. If they change their mind about a subject that they have previously spoken or written about or if they are proven to be wrong about a statement that they have made, they may take back what they said.
As these words are usually for the public, a formal taking back of a statement is often required. You should note here though that 'take back' is less commonly used in formal situations as other synonym verbs like retract, rescind and withdraw would be more likely used here to keep to a higher register. Nonetheless, it is something that you may still hear in this context, so it is worth being aware of it.
The spokesperson later took back her remarks during a press conference.
The newspaper editor formally took his accusations back in a written apology.
The company issued a statement to take back the claims made in the advertisement.
I would like to take back my previous comment, as it was made without full information.
The professor was asked to take back his statement due to its offensive nature.
After reviewing the facts, the witness decided to take part of his testimony back.
The protester respectfully took back her earlier criticism upon hearing the full explanation.
The organisation was compelled to take back its initial stance following public concern.
MEANING 5: To be reminded of a past time
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To remind, to transport, to evoke |
Separable? | Always |
Did you know that out of all the five senses that we humans possess, smell is the one that is thought to be the most closely linked to our memories? That is actually not a surprise for me as I often find that certain smells remind me of my younger days and childhood. What I could also say here is that they take me back to those days as our fifth and final meaning of 'take back' is to be reminded of a past time.
For this usage, we are working with the idea that when we see, hear, smell or taste (and less so feel) something that reminds us of a something in our past, it causes us to think about it again, which is often (but not always) a lovely thing to do. It is literally when we are mentally or emotionally transported to an earlier time in our lives.
As you can probably imagine, the usage of this particular application of 'take back' increases with age and you find that old people use this one all the time and young people less so.
This song really takes me back to my high school days.
Walking through the neighbourhood where he grew up took him back to his childhood.
This photo takes me back to the summer we spent in Italy.
Her perfume instantly took me back to when we first met.
Watching that movie again took me back to my teenage years.
The smell of fresh bread takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen.
Ah this takes me back! Such good memories!
We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'take back'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'take back'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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THE END
I am always looking forward to Friday to reading your blog. Here you have my sentence: After the argument with my neighbough, I had to take back everything I said.
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