take aback
English
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
take aback
- /ˌteɪk əˈbæk/ Canada, US, UK
- [ˌtʰeɪ̯.k‿əˈbæk] Canada, US, UK
- /ˌtæɪk əˈbæk/ Australia
- [ˌtʰæɪ̯.k‿əˈbæk] Australia
Where it comes from
From take + aback, see the two entries for their respective etymology.
verb takes aback · taking aback · took aback · taken aback
- To surprise or shock; to discomfit. I was rather taken aback by his angry reply.
- Of a ship: to catch it with the sails aback suddenly.
Translations
Every language
verb to surprise or shock
| Español | agarrar en curva, sorprender, pasmar, asombrar, dejar pasmado, dejar estupefacto |
|---|---|
| Português | assustar, surpreender |
| Deutsch | überraschen |
| Italiano | cogliere di sorpresa, prendere alla sprovvista |
| Ελληνικά | ξαφνιάζω xafniázo |
| Русский | ошеломля́ть ošelomljátʹ, ошеломи́ть ošelomítʹ, захва́тывать враспло́х zaxvátyvatʹ vrasplóx, заста́ть враспло́х zastátʹ vrasplóx |
Talk about this word "take aback." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/take%20aback. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. take aback. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/take%20aback "take aback." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/take%20aback.Cite this
@misc{take_aback_2026,
title = {take aback},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/take%20aback},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
