TAKE ABACK Definition & Meaning

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take aback

verb

tr, adverb to astonish or disconcert

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Idioms and Phrases

Surprise, shock, as in He was taken aback by her caustic remark . This idiom comes from nautical terminology of the mid-1700s, when be taken aback referred to the stalling of a ship caused by a wind shift that made the sails lay back against the masts. Its figurative use was first recorded in 1829.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Ms Gosling, a paramedic, was "taken aback" when asked about limb donation as she had not heard of it before, but she agreed without hesitation.

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We were all taken aback but I didn't understand that I was apparently the culprit.

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Some lawyers admit to being taken aback by some of the tactics.

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I was taken aback, naturally, but when I had my wits about me again, I thought, oh wow, this film has some traction, some real staying power.”

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Baumgartner has helped feed “The Office” popularity machine for years, but he’s still taken aback at how much the show means to fans who have discovered it since it ended.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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