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The meaning of TAKE ABACK is to surprise or shock (someone) —usually used as (be) taken aback —often + by. How to use take aback in a sentence.
to surprise or shock someone so much that they do not know how to behave for a short time: I was a little taken aback at the directness of the question. The news really took us aback. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Surprising and shocking. against all expectations phrase. amaze. amazingly. astonish. dumbfoundingly. dynamite.
I was taken aback when the announcement of the chairman was made this morning. They were taken aback because many small businesses, especially new businesses, could have been landed with unknown, potentially damaging cash liabilities. These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web.
take (one) aback. To startle, astonish, shock, or disconcert one. It took us all aback a bit to learn that John was moving to England next month. I'm sure the news of the merger takes everyone aback, but please believe me that this is in the best interest of the company.
He struggled as television crews tried to mike him up for sound and seemed taken aback when delegates asked him for an autograph. From The Daily Beast The landlord, who seemed to be thoroughly taken aback, unlocked the door with a trembling hand, and the missionary passed out.
Definition of 'taken aback' taken aback in British English. a. startled or disconcerted. b. nautical. (of a vessel or sail) having the wind against the forward side so as to prevent forward motion. See full dictionary entry for aback. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. taken aback in American English. 1. Nautical.
Others freeze, taken aback by the step up in class. Associates were often taken aback by his prodigious memory for minutiae. Pollsters were taken aback by the scale of his victory. They were taken aback when they noticed the metro cops were armed and loaded.
Definition of take aback phrasal verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Take aback definition: to astonish or disconcert. See examples of TAKE ABACK used in a sentence.
take somebody aback [usually passive] (especially of something negative) to surprise or shock someone: We were taken aback by her hostile reaction. astound to surprise or shock someone very much: His arrogance astounded her.
