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Definitions

turn back

VERB
backpedal
Synonyms
STRONGEST
backtrack
STRONG
double return
WEAK
double back go back
VERB
backtrack
Synonyms
STRONGEST
backpedal go back
STRONG
double return
WEAK
double back
VERB
double back
Synonyms
WEAK
back up backpedal backtrack circle dodge loop retrace one's steps return reverse reverse path turn
Antonyms
WEAK
forge forward go forward
VERB
get back
Synonyms
STRONGEST
come back come home revert
WEAK
arrive home reappear revisit
Antonyms
WEAK
depart go away leave lose miss pass
VERB
react
Synonyms
STRONGEST
acknowledge act answer behave counter feel perform proceed reply revert
STRONG
backfire boomerang echo function operate rebound reciprocate recoil recur return take work
WEAK
answer back be affected bounce back get back at give a snappy comeback give back have a funny feeling have vibes talk back
Antonyms
STRONGEST
cease halt question stop
STRONG
idle keep refuse
VERB
recur
Synonyms
STRONGEST
persist reappear
STRONG
iterate recrudesce reiterate repeat return revert
WEAK
be remembered be repeated come again come and go come back crop up again haunt thoughts return to mind run through one's mind
Antonyms
WEAK
halt stop
VERB
regress
Synonyms
STRONGEST
degenerate deteriorate ebb fall back fall off recede revert
STRONG
backslide lapse relapse retreat retrogress sink
WEAK
fall away go back lose ground roll back throw back
Antonyms
STRONGEST
develop forge forward improve increase progress
STRONG
strengthen
WEAK
grow
VERB
relapse
Synonyms
STRONGEST
degenerate fall back
STRONG
backslide fade fail fall lapse recidivate regress retrogress revert sicken sink suffer worsen
WEAK
be overcome be overtaken slide back slip back
Antonyms
STRONG
develop fight grow help improve increase progress reach rise strengthen win
WEAK
get better heal
VERB
reoccur
Synonyms
WEAK
be remembered be repeated come again come and go come back crop up again haunt thoughts iterate persist reappear recrudesce reiterate repeat return return to mind revert run through one's mind
VERB
reverse
Synonyms
STRONGEST
overturn shift
STRONG
about-face back backpedal backtrack capsize evert exchange flip-flop interchange inverse invert rearrange retreat revert switch transfer transpose upend upset
WEAK
back up double back evaginate go back go backwards move backwards transplace turn around turn over
Antonyms
STRONG
hold keep
WEAK
go ahead reserve
VERB
revert
Synonyms
STRONGEST
degenerate go back hark back react regress
STRONG
about-face backslide change decline deteriorate flip-flop invert lapse recrudesce recur relapse resume retrograde retrogress return transpose turn
WEAK
come back fall off the wagon inverse take up where left off throw back
Antonyms
STRONGEST
develop
STRONG
continue get better halt improve keep stop
WEAK
grow progress

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Survivors said they had pleaded for the captain to turn back as the boat took on water.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

In a statement, the BBC Radio 2 and Greatest Hits Radio presenter said: "As Freddie Mercury once sang, you can't turn back the clock, you can't turn back the tide. Ain't that a shame".

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The coming weeks could give airlines a lift, as long as developments in the Middle East don’t turn back the clock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Iranian authorities ordered at least three oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz to turn back, and two additional ships appeared to reverse course as well, maritime intelligence company Windward said Thursday.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

I turn back to the task at hand —to the chunks of rubble, to the door hundreds of feet up.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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