hearken back
verb
variants
or harken back
hearkened back or harkened back; hearkening back or harkening back; hearkens back or harkens back
: to go back to or recall to mind something in the past : hark back
—usually used with to
This place caters to Americans and hearkens back to days when the town attracted famous celebrities.—
Barbara Zaragoza
Barbara ZaragozaGreenberg worked very closely with the laboratory which harkened back to his earliest days in the film business …—Ron Magid
Ron MagidExamples of hearken back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Alternatively, some subtler designs do hearken back to the days at the makeup counter, coming in a range of shades that provide a better match for your skin tone.
—Stacey Colino, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The image hearkens back to photos of U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos doing the Black Power salute on the medalist podium at the 1968 Olympics to protest racial injustice.
—Emily Olsen, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
My kingdom for a dozen eggs The long lines at the local grocery or warehouse store hearken back to the early days of iPhone releases.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2025
An American Airlines flight that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter resulting in one of the most devastating airline disasters in decades hearkened back to two tragedies.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hearken back
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.
Stacey Colino, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The image hearkens back to photos of U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos doing the Black Power salute on the medalist podium at the 1968 Olympics to protest racial injustice.
—Emily Olsen, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
My kingdom for a dozen eggs The long lines at the local grocery or warehouse store hearken back to the early days of iPhone releases.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2025
An American Airlines flight that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter resulting in one of the most devastating airline disasters in decades hearkened back to two tragedies.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hearken back
Articles Related to hearken back
Cite this Entry
“Hearken back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearken%20back. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share