Go back meaning
Go back means to return to a place where you were before. It can also mean to start doing something again, or talk about it again.
go back
go back · went · gone · going
I left my phone at the café. I need to go back.
Go back meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Return to a place where you were before
go back
- I left my phone at the café. I need to go back.
- We went back to Rome ten years later.
- Do you ever want to go back home?
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2
Start doing something again, or talk about it again
go back
- I woke up at four and couldn’t go back to sleep.
- Let’s go back to what you said earlier.
- After the baby, she went back to work.
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3
Have existed since a time in the past
go back
- This house goes back to the 1700s.
- Tom and I go back a long way.
- The tradition goes back hundreds of years.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use go back in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is go back separable?
Go back has no object. Add to before the place or activity: go back to Rome, go back to sleep.
Go back is seen from where you are now, moving to the old place. Come back is seen from the place you return to: Come back soon!
Verb tenses for go back
| Present | I go back · she goes back |
|---|---|
| Past | went back |
| Present perfect | have gone back |
| -ing form | going back |
Common mistakes with go back
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I want to go back to home.
Right: I want to go back home.
No to before home.
Wrong: I couldn’t return back to sleep.
Right: I couldn’t go back to sleep.
Return already means go back.
Wrong: It’s late. Go back to the bed.
Right: It’s late. Go back to bed.
No the in go back to bed.
Synonyms and opposites of go back
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- come backreturn to here, where the speaker is
- get backarrive home again
- returnthe formal word
Opposite
- go awayleave a place for a while
- staynot leave
Go back quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1I forgot my keys. I have to ___.
Go back means return to a place.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Say go back to sleep.
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3“We go back a long way,” Ana says about Mia. What does she mean?
Go back a long way means know each other for a long time.
More phrasal verbs with go
All phrasal verbs with go, by level, with an exercise
16 phrasal verbs start with go. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- go outA1leave your home to do something fun
- go inA2enter a room or a building
- go intoA2enter a place
- go onB1continue, or last for a period of time
- go awayB1leave a person or a place
- go downB1become lower, like a price, a number or a temperature
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- go forB1choose something
- go withB1look or taste good together with something
- go offB2start ringing loudly, like an alarm, or explode, like a bomb
- go throughB2live through a difficult or unpleasant time
- go overB2check something carefully, looking for mistakes
- go aroundB2be enough for everyone in a group to have some
- go aheadB2start or continue doing something you planned
- go afterB2follow or chase someone to catch them or talk to them
Go back FAQ
Questions people ask about go back.
What does go back on your word mean?
It means not do what you promised: He went back on his word and sold the car.
What does the clocks go back mean?
In autumn in many countries, clocks change to one hour earlier: The clocks go back on Sunday, so you get an extra hour in bed.
What is the past tense of go back?
Went back, and the past participle is gone back: She has gone back to Spain.
Use go back in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.