Phrasal verb
go back on
Definition
phrasal verb. to fail to keep a promise or an agreement you made earlier.
phrasal verb. to fail to honour a commitment, promise, or agreement; implies a breach of trust or a reversal of a previous decision.
Examples
“He promised to help me, but he went back on his word.”
“The government was criticized after they went back on their pledge to lower taxes.”
“Once the contract is signed, it becomes legally difficult for either party to go back on the agreed terms without facing significant penalties.”
Examples
simple
“He promised to help me, but he went back on his word.”
contextual
“The government was criticized after they went back on their pledge to lower taxes.”
complex
“Once the contract is signed, it becomes legally difficult for either party to go back on the agreed terms without facing significant penalties.”
Usage
usually followed by a noun like 'word', 'promise', 'deal', or 'pledge'.
Teaching tip
focus on the collocation 'go back on your word' as it is the most frequent usage; contrast with 'keep a promise' to show the antonymous relationship.
Pitfall
He went back his promise.
He went back on his promise.
the preposition 'on' is essential to connect the action to the specific promise being broken.
Phrasal verb
Particles
back on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
go + back + on + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/go-back-on