Idiom
take aback
Meaning
To surprise or shock; to discomfit.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The sudden news took me aback.”
“Your rude comment takes me aback.”
“The cold weather takes the tourists aback.”
“I was taken aback when my boss announced that the office would close next month.”
“The quiet student took the whole class aback when she stood up and started singing perfectly in a foreign language.”
“We were taken aback by the high price of the meal after the waiter brought the bill to our table.”
“The dog's friendly reaction to the stranger took the owner aback, as the pet usually barks loudly at anyone who walks through the front gate.”
“The candidate was visibly taken aback by the unexpected question, struggling for a moment to regain his composure before answering.”
Examples
simple
“The sudden news took me aback.”
“Your rude comment takes me aback.”
“The cold weather takes the tourists aback.”
contextual
“I was taken aback when my boss announced that the office would close next month.”
“The quiet student took the whole class aback when she stood up and started singing perfectly in a foreign language.”
“We were taken aback by the high price of the meal after the waiter brought the bill to our table.”
“The dog's friendly reaction to the stranger took the owner aback, as the pet usually barks loudly at anyone who walks through the front gate.”
complex
“The candidate was visibly taken aback by the unexpected question, struggling for a moment to regain his composure before answering.”
Origin
From the verb *take* and the adverb *aback*, the term emerged from the nautical requirement to describe a ship's sails being pressed against the mast by a sudden shift in wind. Such a shift brought the vessel to a standstill, which was considered an undesirable development for the navigator. The figurative use for a person encountering a sudden social or mental arrest appeared by the late 18th century.
Key words
Related idioms
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