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Returning

Moving to the place or position you or something came from. Returning something to where it came from.

be back	What time will you be back?
blow back	If you smoke, never flip ashes our your window. They could blow back into your car and start a fire.
bring back	Please bring back the books that you borrow when you have finished so that others can enjoy them.
call back	He turned to leave, but she called him back.
carry back	Firefighters carried the dog back up to the top of the cliff using a series of ropes.
come back	Did she say when she's coming back?
double back	More than once I've had to double back because I missed the sign for the exit I wanted.
drop back	Three laps from the end he started losing ground until he dropped back to third.
flip back	I hope things flip back to normal soon.
get back	What time will you get back home tonight?
give back	I don't like people who borrow things and don't give them back.
go back	I went back to where my parents and sister were and told them about it.
hand back	The wallet was handed back to its rightful owner.
head back	After the show everyone said goodnight, and we headed back to the hotel.
lie back	He lay back on the sand and crossed his hands under his head.
look back	He looked back to say goodbye.
move back	She wants to move back to her hometown.
pop back	I just popped back for my wallet.
pull back	The firefighters had to pull back for safety reasons.
push back	She pushed back her hair.
put back	She put the book back on the shelf.
send back	Make any necessary corrections on the draft and send it back to us.
sit back	It's your birthday - sit back and let me do the housework today.
switch back	It's no longer possible to switch back to the classic version.
tail back	Traffic is tailing back on the M61 southbound after a crash involving two cars.
take back	I must take this book back to the library tomorrow.
throw back	He threw the ball back to me.
turn back	We turned back, retracing our steps to the visitor center.
welcome back	I would welcome him back with open arms.
wean back	She slowly weaned herself back on to a more balanced diet.
winch back	The container was winched back to the surface.

Remembering; the past

Talking or thinking about something in the past.

bring back	Thank you for the wonderful pictures. They brought back many precious memories of the two years I spent there.
carry back	Seeing John at the party carried her back to when they were married.
date back	This fossil dates back to the Pleistocene era.
flash back	My memory flashed back to the day I met her.
flood back	The memories of that day came flooding back recently when I unearthed this photograph.
go back	I wish we could go back to how things used to be.
hark back	The custom harks back to Viking times.
look back	That was ten years ago and we'ver never looked back.
rush back	All the memories came rushing back.
stretch back	It's a tradition stretching back many centuries.
take back	The story takes us back to the night of November 30th 1942, when his plane was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire.
think back	He cried, thinking back on the days when they were together.
turn back	Cosmetic surgery can only turn back the clock, not stop it.

Repeating or reacting

Repeating something. Reacting to something that has happened or behaving in particular way because of what has happened or what somebody has said or done. Going back to a previous state or position. Sometimes it means reciprocating an action like a phone call.

answer back	Don't answer me back!
beat back	The initial attack from the south was beaten back.
bring back	They signed a petition to bring back the death penalty.
bounce back	The company went bankrupt, but managed to bounce back with a new management.
call back	Just leave your contact information below and we will call you back as soon as possible.
check back	I’ll check back in a few minutes.
come back	Denim jackets are coming back into fashion.
fight back	Many Americans, tired of living in fear and impotence, are fighting back.
gain back	The diet was too extreme and she quickly gained the weight back.
go back	He opened his eyes, looked at her a moment, then closed them again and went back to sleep.
hear back	Have you heard back from the people you've written to?
hit back	He has hit back at critics after a holiday photo sparked controversy.
invite back	The hotel invited us back after a very poor experience the first time.
kick back	The more you say no, the more he'll kick back.
kiss back	She kissed me back but told me she was confused.
lash back	He has lashed back at claims he dived to win a penalty in the FA Cup against West Ham.
listen back	I listen back to old recordings and I cringe at them.
love back	You can't force someone to love you back by asking for it.
pay back	Do you usually pay people back if they're unkind to you?
phone back	The solicitor has just phoned back and said there's nothing we can do about it.
play back	I can't stand the sound of my own voice when it comes to playing it back.
push back	All of us must push back against the scourge of racism.
read back	All right! Now read it back to me.
report back	He will investigate the circumstances and report back to you.
ring back	She says she'll ring you back in a few minutes.
shoot back	She shot back that he was just a rich boy in a suit.
steer back	Let's steer the discussion back to the topic, please.
strike back	They were determined to strike back with all means available.
talk back	Don't you ever talk back to me like that.
throw back	He caught it, then threw it back at me.
win back	They're considering cutting taxes to win back voters.
woo back	Hotels are cutting prices to woo back tourists after the terror attacks.
write back	He wrote to her but she never wrote back.

Controlling or reducing

Controlling, reducing or supressing something such as an emotion.

bite back	He seemed to have something to say but he bit back his words.
choke back	We could clearly hear him choking back the tears.
cut back	Schools are having to cut back because money is already short.
cut back on	Consumers are cutting back on spending.
dial back	The incident has caused her to dial back her alcohol consumption.
fight back	I could tell she was fighting back the tears.
force back	He bit his lower lip, forcing back his tears.
hold back	I think he wanted to cry but he managed to hold back the tears.
keep back	Your comfort zone may be keeping you back.
push back	I tried to push back the fear and focus on keeping them safe.
roll back	They want to council to roll back taxes to the 2009 level.
row back	He later rowed back on the comments.
scale back	The catastrophy forced the country to scale back plans to expand its nuclear energy sector.
set back	This weather is setting us back again.
walk back	Seeing the look on his face, she tried to walk back her words.

Not getting involved

Separating from something that is happening to avoid getting involved. Moving aside. Retreating. Waiting.

draw back	The army was forced to draw back.
fall back	The enemy fell back a short distance.
hang back	Some companies are hanging back to see how much demand there actually is going to be for these phones.
pull back	The troops are being pulled back to bases.
sit back	We can't just sit back and do nothing.
stand back	Everyone stood back to let me through the door.
step back	He is stepping back from the limelight to focus on his health.

Drinking

knock back	We headed over there, knocked back a few drinks, and listened to the band play.
put back	I've put back quite a few drinks with them.
throw back	She kept throwing back shots of Tequila at Chez Rouge.
toss back	It's a great place to toss back a few pints.

Regaining

claim back	You may be able to claim the money back from the airline.
claw back	Big supermarkets are trying to claw back market share from discount retailers.
get back	He's started to exercise. He needs to get his strength back.
give back	You will have to give it back or pay them for it.
have back	It seems like a fair deal to me. Anyone who is not happy with that can have their money back.
snatch back	They snatched back the title after last year's loss.
take back	It's time to take back control of your life.
want back	I want my money back.
win back	They’re considering cutting taxes to win back voters.
wrestle back	They're trying to wrestle back control of the city from the rebels.