TAKING BACK Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

taking back

verb

present participle of take back

as in withdrawing

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 taking back Rhaenyra shows no affection whatsoever to her heir, Joffrey, and only shows signs of any warmth at all when speaking with Daemon about taking back Tumbleton from Lord Ormund and the Hightowers. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 A week after setting an all-time high in Nielsen’s streaming ratings, Love Island USA nearly matched it while taking back the top overall ranking for the third time this summer. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 Also not on the spring 2027 calendar is Giambattista Valli, who is taking back control of his house following an agreement to buy back full ownership from Artémis, the private investment arm of the billionaire Pinault family. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 24 July 2026 Democrats have said Kean's 7th congressional district is a top target to flip in their pursuit of taking back the majority. — Claudia Grisales, NPR, 30 June 2026 Trading him might be another option, though the market is likely to be thin and require taking back salary. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 23 June 2026 Getting a grip on immigration was a key promise of the Brexiters — their message of taking back control resonated. — ABC News, 21 June 2026 Adding scientists to the corps in the late 1960s, and deliberately recruiting women and Black astronauts in the 1970s, were widely hailed as steps the agency was taking back then towards diversity. — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 June 2026 Democrats can win again by taking back the middle. — NBC news, 31 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking back

Verb

The scheme reportedly involved depositing checks from accounts with insufficient funds, then withdrawing the temporarily available money, leaving the banks to absorb the losses once the checks bounced, court records show.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
Numerous energy projects end up withdrawing entirely from the process.

— Ray Fernandez, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

Vivo and Oppo phones have relied on various gimmicks, like smaller gimbals and pop-out lenses, to improve camera performance, though not to the extent of a physically retracting gimbal.

— Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026
The remote control has mixed reviews, with this seemingly retracting from its otherwise glowing reviews.

— Tantse Walter, Space.com, 26 June 2026

Definition of retracting

Verb

That starts with renouncing the use of military intervention as a first resort and ending the practice of diplomacy by airstrike.

— MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
In these photographs, the maternal body enters spaces designed around seduction, aspiration, and idealized femininity without renouncing any of them.

— Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of renouncing

Verb

Tiffany has called for repealing the state tax incentive for data centers, while Crowley has not.

— Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
New analysis recommends strengthening the regulations A new policy analysis by ecologists and forest management experts examined the potential local and large-scale impacts of repealing the Roadless Rule.

— Dan Peck, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of repealing

Verb

Finally, leaders who have inconsistent messaging—giving one instruction today and contradicting it tomorrow—create confusion, frustration and uncertainty.

— Don Weber, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
But only states have the power to put these proposals into practice—and many state policy makers, concerned that the White House is contradicting existing research, aren’t keen to follow its guidance.

— Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026