take aback

verb

took aback; taken aback; taking aback; takes aback
Synonyms of take abacknext
: to surprise or shock (someone)
—usually used as (be) taken aback
When I told him my answer, he seemed taken aback.
—often + by
He was taken aback by her answer.

Examples of take aback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But when producers took the project out to the market, they were taken aback. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 Users of Kalshi’s official Discord channel were taken aback by the development. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Staff at Variety were taken aback by UTA’s fiery response to the story, and disputed Kramer’s characterization of Donnelly’s behavior towards UTA executives. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Parton was excited and taken aback by the new version of her song. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for take aback

Rhymes for take aback

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Browse Nearby Words

take
take aback
take a back seat
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Cite this Entry

“Take aback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20aback. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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