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TAKE SOMEONE ABACK definition: 1. to surprise or shock someone so much that they do not know how to behave for a short time: 2…. Learn more.
The meaning of TAKE ABACK is to surprise or shock (someone) —usually used as (be) taken aback —often + by. How to use take aback in a sentence.
Examples of taken aback. I was at first takenaback, not quite sure what was going on. The arguments confounded many, and the western press was takenaback. When she is takenaback, he tells her he will leave her alone, and lies down some distance away from her.
He struggled as television crews tried to mike him up for sound and seemed taken aback when delegates asked him for an autograph. The landlord, who seemed to be thoroughly taken aback, unlocked the door with a trembling hand, and the missionary passed out.
Definition of take aback phrasal verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
He was taken aback because in those days you could say what you wanted. The Guardian ( 2018 ) Another was taken aback that this music legend was talking so directly to her.
Take aback definition: to astonish or disconcert. See examples of TAKE ABACK used in a sentence.
(of a vessel or sail) having the wind against the forward side so as to prevent forward motion. See full dictionary entry for aback. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. taken aback in American English. 1. Nautical. in an unmanageable condition, as because of a sudden shift of wind to the opposite side of the sails. 2.
Jun 2, 2024 · take aback (third-person singular simple present takes aback, present participle taking aback, simple past took aback, past participle taken aback) ( idiomatic, transitive) To surprise or shock; to discomfit . I was rather taken aback by his angry reply. The bad news took us aback.
take somebody aback [usually passive] (especially of something negative) to surprise or shock someone: We were taken aback by her hostile reaction. astound to surprise or shock someone very much: His arrogance astounded her.
