Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a particle to create meanings that often differ from the original verb alone. The particle “back” typically indicates return, reciprocation, restraint, or reversal of action.
This collection of 100 phrasal verbs with “back” will help you enhance your English vocabulary and communicate more naturally.
Return and restoration
Come back
To return to a place.
“She came back from her vacation yesterday.”
Get back
To return to a place; to retrieve something.
“I’ll get back to the office by 5 PM.”
Go back
To return to a place; to revert to a previous state.
“Let’s go back to the hotel and rest.”
Bring back
To return with something or someone; to restore.
“Please bring back the books you borrowed.”
Take back
To return something to its original place or owner.
“Take back these shoes to the store; they don’t fit.”
Give back
To return something that was given or borrowed.
“She gave back the money she had borrowed.”
Put back
To return something to its original position.
“Put back the milk in the refrigerator.”
Send back
To return something to its source or origin.
“I sent back the damaged product for a refund.”
Move back
To return to a previous location.
“After college, she moved back to her hometown.”
Bounce back
To recover quickly after a setback.
“The economy bounced back after the recession.”
Reciprocation and response
Answer back
To reply rudely or argumentative.
“Don’t answer back to your teacher.”
Talk back
To reply rudely or disrespectfully.
“He got in trouble for talking back to his parents.”
Hit back
To respond to criticism or an attack.
“The politician hit back at his critics during the press conference.”
Fight back
To defend oneself against an attack; to resist.
“The company fought back against the takeover attempt.”
Strike back
To retaliate or counterattack.
“The army struck back after the surprise attack.”
Fire back
To respond quickly and forcefully in an argument.
“When accused of incompetence, she fired back with evidence of her accomplishments.”
Give back
To reciprocate; to contribute to society.
“After becoming successful, he wanted to give back to his community.”
Pay back
To repay a debt; to take revenge.
“I’ll pay back the money I borrowed next week.”
Get back at
To take revenge on someone.
“He got back at his rival by spreading rumors.”
Bite back
To restrain a sharp reply; to return to cause problems.
“She had to bite back her anger during the meeting.”
Communication and information
Call back
To return a phone call.
“I’ll call back later when I have more information.”
Write back
To respond to a letter or email.
“She wrote back immediately after receiving my message.”
Get back to
To contact someone with information later.
“I’ll get back to you about the proposal tomorrow.”
Circle back
To return to a topic later.
“Let’s circle back to this issue after lunch.”
Refer back
To direct attention to something mentioned previously.
“He referred back to his earlier statement.”
Loop back
To return to a previous point in a discussion.
“Let me loop back to your question about funding.”
Feed back
To provide information about performance or results.
“The manager feeds back to each team member monthly.”
Echo back
To repeat or reflect sound or information.
“The canyon walls echoed back our voices.”
Report back
To return and give information about what has happened.
“After the meeting, please report back to the team.”
Touch base back
To reconnect or check in with someone again.
“I’ll touch base back with you after I speak with the client.”
Restraint and prevention
Hold back
To restrain oneself; to withhold.
“Don’t hold back your opinions during the discussion.”
Keep back
To prevent from advancing; to reserve.
“Keep back a portion of the funds for emergencies.”
Pull back
To move away from a position; to retreat.
“Investors pulled back from the market when it became volatile.”
Draw back
To move away; to retreat.
“She drew back from the edge of the cliff.”
Step back
To move backward; to distance oneself from a situation.
“Let’s step back and look at the bigger picture.”
Hang back
To remain behind or be reluctant to proceed.
“The shy student hung back while others volunteered.”
Shrink back
To recoil in fear or disgust.
“The child shrank back when he saw the spider.”
Stand back
To move backwards; to maintain distance.
“Stand back from the fire!”
Fall back
To retreat; to rely on something in difficulty.
“If Plan A fails, we can fall back on Plan B.”
Shy away/back
To avoid something due to fear or lack of confidence.
“Don’t shy back from challenging assignments.”
Support and assistance
Back up
To support or provide assistance; to make a copy of data.
“My colleagues will back me up on this decision.”
Stand back
To support or defend.
“The team stands back its captain despite the controversy.”
Be back
To support or be behind.
“The manager is back his team’s proposal.”
Get behind/back
To support or encourage.
“The entire community got back the school renovation project.”
Have someone’s back
To support or protect someone.
“Don’t worry, I have your back in this situation.”
Watch someone’s back
To look out for someone’s safety or interests.
“In dangerous neighborhoods, friends watch each other’s backs.”
Put one’s back into
To work hard on something.
“If you put your back into this project, you’ll finish it quickly.”
Pat on the back
To congratulate or praise.
“The boss gave him a pat on the back for his excellent work.”
Back away
To withdraw support gradually.
“Sponsors began to back away when the controversy emerged.”
Back down
To withdraw a demand or assertion.
“The company backed down after public pressure.”
Reversal and return to previous state
Roll back
To reverse or reduce something to a previous level.
“The government plans to roll back the tax increases.”
Scale back
To reduce the size or extent of something.
“The company had to scale back its expansion plans.”
Dial back
To reduce the intensity or degree of something.
“The coach asked the player to dial back his aggression.”
Wind back
To return to an earlier point or state.
“Let’s wind back the discussion to our main point.”
Turn back
To reverse direction; to reject.
“The hikers had to turn back due to bad weather.”
Trace back
To follow something to its origin.
“The tradition can be traced back to ancient times.”
Date back
To originate at a particular time.
“This building dates back to the 17th century.”
Cut back
To reduce in amount or extent.
“We need to cut back on expenses this month.”
Pare back
To reduce by trimming gradually.
“The editor pared back the article to fit the space.”
Look back
To think about past events.
“Looking back, I realize I made the right decision.”
Refusal and resistance
Push back
To resist or refuse to accept something.
“The community pushed back against the new development plans.”
Fight back
To resist strongly.
“The union fought back against the proposed pay cuts.”
Kick back
To relax; to respond forcefully.
“After work, I like to kick back and watch TV.”
Fire back
To respond forcefully to criticism.
“The politician fired back at accusations of corruption.”
Fend back
To repel or resist an attack.
“The goalkeeper fended back every shot at the goal.”
Ward back
To prevent something harmful from happening.
“The security measures helped ward back potential threats.”
Force back
To compel to retreat.
“The police forced back the demonstrators.”
Beat back
To defeat or repel.
“The home team beat back every attack from their opponents.”
Drive back
To force to retreat.
“The army drove back the enemy forces.”
Thrust back
To push away forcefully.
“He thrust back the attacker with a powerful shove.”
Movement and position
Sit back
To move into a more relaxed sitting position; to take a passive role.
“Sit back and enjoy the show.”
Lie back
To recline or rest in a horizontal position.
“He lay back on the beach and soaked up the sun.”
Lean back
To rest with the upper body tilted backward.
“She leaned back in her chair during the conversation.”
Settle back
To position oneself comfortably.
“We settled back to watch the movie.”
Sink back
To descend or recline into a position.
“He sank back into the soft couch.”
Slide back
To move backward smoothly.
“The drawer slides back into the cabinet smoothly.”
Tip back
To tilt backward.
“He tipped back his hat to see better.”
Rock back
To move backward and forward.
“The old man rocked back and forth in his chair.”
Fall back
To move or recline backward.
“She fell back onto the bed in exhaustion.”
Bend back
To curve backward.
“The gymnast could bend back until her hands touched the floor.”
Memories and past references
Think back
To recall past events.
“Thinking back to our college days makes me nostalgic.”
Remember back
To recall events from the past.
“She remembered back to her childhood in the countryside.”
Reflect back
To think deeply about past events.
“He reflected back on his career before retirement.”
Cast back
To direct thoughts to the past.
“Casting back, I realize how naive I was.”
Flash back
To suddenly remember something from the past.
“The smell of baking bread flashed her back to her grandmother’s kitchen.”
Reach back
To extend one’s memory to the past.
“The oldest residents can reach back to the days before electricity.”
Harken back
To refer or return to something from the past.
“This architectural style harkens back to ancient Greek designs.”
Hearken back
To recall or reference something from the past.
“His speeches often hearken back to a simpler time.”
Look back
To consider or review the past.
“Looking back at my diary entries from that time is enlightening.”
Glance back
To briefly recall or reference the past.
“Glancing back at our financial records, we’ve made steady progress.”
Miscellaneous useful phrasal verbs
Pay back
To repay money; to take revenge.
“I’ll pay back the loan by the end of the month.”
Set back
To delay or hinder; to cost.
“The project was set back by bad weather.”
Pull back
To withdraw troops or resources.
“The general ordered the troops to pull back from the border.”
Hold back
To restrain or withhold.
“Don’t hold back your feelings; tell me what you think.”
Take back
To retract a statement.
“I take back what I said about your cooking; this meal is delicious.”
Hang back
To stay behind; to be hesitant.
“The shy student hung back from the group discussion.”
Get one’s own back
To take revenge.
“She got her own back by outperforming him in the competition.”
Cut back
To reduce consumption or spending.
“We need to cut back on our electricity usage.”
Win back
To regain something lost, especially trust or affection.
“He’s trying to win back her trust after the argument.”
Buy back
To repurchase something previously sold or owned.
“The company plans to buy back shares of its stock.”
Mastering phrasal verbs with “back” will significantly enhance your English fluency and comprehension. These versatile expressions appear in everyday conversations, business settings, and various media. The particle “back” often indicates return, reciprocation, restraint, or reversal of action.
