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aback
[uh-bak]
adverb
toward the back.
Nautical.so that the wind presses against the forward side of the sail or sails.
adjective
(of a sail) positioned so that the wind presses against the forward side.
(of a yard) positioned so that its sail is laid aback.
aback
/ əˈæ /
adverb
startled or disconcerted
nautical (of a vessel or sail) having the wind against the forward side so as to prevent forward motion
raretowards the back; backwards
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of aback1
Idioms and Phrases
taken aback, surprised and disconcerted.
I was taken aback by his harsh criticism.
Example Sentences
He said his dad had "leaned into me on the way out and said 'that's the biggest honour I've ever received' and I was quite taken aback because normally he wouldn't understand what's going on".
"The prime minister was taken aback. She decided to snub these moves and hasten the passage of the amendment bill in the parliament," writes Prof Raghavan.
“I’ve been taken aback by the problems that exist and how little has been done.”
But among those who were taken aback by the announcement was Lt.
"The response was just so warm. I was quite taken aback by it," says Archer.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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