# wind back the clock

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/wind-back-the-clock
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To return in time to an earlier period of history.

## Examples

- I wish I could wind back the clock to my childhood.
- Looking at these old photographs makes me want to wind back the clock and relive those happy summer days.
- Historians often wonder how the world might differ today if we could wind back the clock and change the outcome of that single, fateful decision.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.