take aback
phrasal verb
took aback; taken aback; taking aback; takes aback
: to surprise or shock (someone)
—usually used as (be) taken aback
When I told him my answer, he seemed taken aback.
—often + byHe was taken aback by her answer.
Examples of take aback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Shaquille O’Neal is known for being a jokester, but his recent Instagram post had people taken aback.
—
Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 24 June 2024
Defense attorney Raven Liberty told the Miami Herald she was taken aback by prosecutors’ efforts to introduce lyrics into the case.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 16 June 2024
Living in a traditional society, they were not taken aback by the Taliban’s strictures.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2022
But when Bobbi Brown logged on and saw almost an entire pot of her new foundation—Jones Road What The Foundation—being slathered liberally over TikToker Meredith Duxbury’s face, she was slightly taken aback.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 11 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for take aback 
Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 24 June 2024
Defense attorney Raven Liberty told the Miami Herald she was taken aback by prosecutors’ efforts to introduce lyrics into the case.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 16 June 2024
Living in a traditional society, they were not taken aback by the Taliban’s strictures.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2022
But when Bobbi Brown logged on and saw almost an entire pot of her new foundation—Jones Road What The Foundation—being slathered liberally over TikToker Meredith Duxbury’s face, she was slightly taken aback.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 11 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for take aback
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take aback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near take aback
Cite this Entry
“Take aback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20aback. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share