Definition of Aback

aback (adverb) - having the wind against the forward side of the sails

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How can aback be used in a sentence?

  1. As a European shopper, I was somewhat taken aback.

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  2. I stared at him, taken aback by the impassioned onslaught.

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  3. You may be taken aback when you encounter this tiny local bar.

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  4. However, I was taken aback by the overlong tribute to John Hughes.

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  5. I am taken aback when she answers the phone speaking perfect English.

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  6. His boss was momentarily taken aback, Alexander writes, but then agreed.

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  7. Further, I imagine my friend would be taken aback by me being taken aback.

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  8. I'm at first taken aback, ready to protest - "I'm much too young," I think.

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  9. "I'm just a little taken aback," he told her, "by the tone of your remarks."

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  10. I was taken aback by giant Christian crosses that dotted the deathly landscape.

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  11. But then they see the finished works and it really takes them aback, which is great. "

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  12. That took me aback; I muttered something about not calling on a queen every day of my life.

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  13. A little taken aback, he graciously responded, pleased I had acknowledged the coming of his holy day.

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  14. Niecy noted, "I was taken aback and a little off by how I was feeling and I wasn't thinking about my feet."

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  15. It was still a dramatic entrance, though, and Kel was still an imposing figure that took even the Chief aback.

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  16. They were clearly taken aback to see what to them must seem a monster lying like a pet dog beside the strangers.

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  17. I was further taken aback that no legislator present for the hearing that day expressed outrage over the remarks.

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  18. He had just spent the whole night going over Lish's edited version of the book and was taken aback by the changes.

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  19. Visitors are normally taken aback at the site's majestic appearance but now the falls have turned into a small stream.

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  20. I was taken aback, however, by the opportunistic and credential-centric atmosphere created by this focus on networking.

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  21. "David, I'm a bit taken aback by this attitude!" he said as he fiddled with a binder clip, a bit of business worthy of a West End ham.

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  22. I wish I could remember all of it, but I was quite taken aback to find myself thrust into this company, so unexpected ... what was this?

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  23. And then came the invitation to Balmoral, which reduced Elspeth to a state of nervous exultation close to hysterics, and took me clean aback.

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  24. The two policemen, heavy, good-natured men, were taken aback by the extraordinary vehemence with which their friendly advances had been rejected.

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  25. When Scolese said they might abandon the moon base for an NEO or Mars mission I was completely taken aback, because that's really the way forward for NASA.

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  26. The Journal asked him to do a survey of economists on the subject of inequality, and he was taken aback to discover that the rise in economic inequality was real.

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  27. By Peter Costantini ~ Seattle A few days ago, while browsing Le Nouvelliste, the venerable French-language paper published in Port-au-Prince, I was taken aback to ...

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  28. The BBC's Jon Leyne, reporting from Cairo, says "police were taken aback by the anger of the crowd" and at first let protesters make their way to the parliament building.

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  29. When audiences finally got to see the much-talked-about pro-life Superbowl ad featuring Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow in January, many were taken aback by its innocuousness.

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  30. Options B and D are not correct as the word 'aback' means to get startled by something and does not means the same as the word 'back' which is used in the answer choices B and D.

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  31. Though I was admittedly taken aback by the militant teenagers armed with sub machine guns who greeted our party on the tarmac, the republic has made noticeable strides over the past two decades.

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  32. As I read your stories and especially your friends who so generously comment I am taken aback (is aback a word?) by the generous sharing of wisdom you receive from your friends at French-Word-A-Day.

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  33. The richness and elegance of the church took me all "aback;" it was so entirely different from anything I had seen, that it was difficult to decide whether I was most charmed by its novelty or its beauty.

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  34. But while Mr. Obama has staked out middle ground on other environmental matters -- supporting nuclear power, for example -- the sheer breadth of the offshore drilling decision will take some of his supporters aback.

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  35. Hillary grew up in this culture, so yes she was taken "aback" by these comments; you, others, and obama being so shallow minded and dismissive of someones culture and values is ignorant. obama will never be President.

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  36. No Child Left Behind Andrew Smarick, a former Education Department official during the Bush administration, said he was taken aback by how much the plan acknowledged the limitations of federal leverage over local schools.

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  37. The current situation was several years in the making, but Badran and other Middle East experts assign a great deal of responsibility to the feckless administration, which seemed somewhat taken aback by the pace of events.

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  38. Some board members were taken aback at the filing after they saw news reports about the SEC disclosure and that it was done without close oversight by some top executives, one of these people said, adding that they expect management to fix the process problems and make sure it doesn't happen again.

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  39. I'd known it happen before, after all, and often as not with the same kind of women - the high-born, pampered kind who go through their young lives surrounded by men who are forever deferring and toadying, so that when a real plunger like myself comes along, and treats 'em easy, like women and not as queens, they're taken all aback.

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Tips for Using aback in a Sentence

You may have an easier time writing sentences with aback if you know what words are likely to come before or after it, or simply what words are often found in the same sentence.

Frequent Predecessors

Words that often come before aback in sentences. For example: "taken aback" or "me aback"

  • taken
  • me
  • all
  • him
  • her
  • somewhat
  • sails
  • completely
  • flat
  • took

Frequent Successors

Words that often come after aback in sentences. For example: "aback by" or "aback ."

  • by
  • .
  • at
  • when
  • and
  • to
  • that
  • for
  • as
  • but

Associated Words

Words that aren't necessarily predecessors or successors, but are often found in the same sentence.

  • remark
  • revelation
  • sudden
  • asks
  • replied
  • agrees
  • surprised
  • attitude
  • upset
  • knows

Alternate Definitions

  • aback (adverb) - by surprise
  • aback (noun) - an abacus, or something resembling one, as a flat, square stone, or a square compartment
  • aback (noun) - an abacus
  • aback (adverb) - toward the back or rear; backward
  • aback (adverb) - behind; in the rear
  • aback (adverb) - backward against the mast; -- said of the sails when pressed by the wind
  • aback (adverb) - to be suddenly checked, baffled, or discomfited
A sentence using aback