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Glite Dictionary
to double back

to double back

27 3.7
To turn around and go back the way you came
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈdʌbəl bæk/
translation icon : volver sobre sus pasos
  • After realizing I left my phone behind, I had to double back and retrieve it.

Let me know, would you double back on AX?

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Examples

  • We could go east along the Scimitar Ridge until we get to the river, then double back to the village.

    A Lonely Place to Die (2011)

  • "Then at a certain point, we will go east, then double back at another point and head south."

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Go right, then double back on yourself.

    Déjà Vu (2006)

  • I say we double back.

    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

  • In any event, we will double back toward the river.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • But if we just double back, well, yeah, let's do that.

    Simone Giertz

  • By this time, we had begun to double back on ourselves.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Time to double back to the mill, be there when the police arrive.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • We'll double back, pick up the trail where our Mr. Van Diemen disappeared on us.

    Tracker (2010)

  • Well, if Chief hadn't asked us to double back, never would've found him in the first place.

    Breakthrough (2019)

Synonyms

to go back
vsto double back
∞ 1.0

Return to a previous place, topic, or state

describes a physical turning and walking the same path back
to return
vsto double back
∞ 1.0

Go back to a place, state or activity

is narrower, meaning to physically turn and follow the outward route back
to come back
vsto double back
919 1.3

To return to a previous subject or point

is physical and literal, meaning to turn and walk the outward path in reverse
to move back
vsto double back
283 1.7

To step away to an earlier place

is a simple physical turning and walking back along the same route
to turn back
vsto double back
159 2.1

To go back to a previous place or state

is specifically about turning and walking back along the outward route
to backtrack
vsto double back
42 4.3

To go back along the same route you have just taken

is specifically about turning and retracing the outward walking route
to retrace
vsto double back
31 4.2

To go back along the same route you already took

is about physically turning and following the outward route in reverse
to retrace one's steps
vsto double back
15 4.3

To go back the same way you came to find something you lost

is about turning around and walking the outward route back the same way
to retrack
vsto double back
1 7.9

To go back along the same route you took

focuses on physically turning and walking the outward route in reverse
to backtrail
vsto double back
6.8

To go back along the path you came to return to the start

means physically turning and moving along the same outward route back

Antonyms

to continue
∞ 1.0

To keep doing something without stopping

How Far Back

to backtrack
42 4.3
to return
∞ 1.0
to double back
27 3.7
to turn around
384 2.0

Surface Forms

double back infinitive
doubled back past
doubled back past participle
double backing present participle
doubles back third person singular

Morphology

double + back

The component 'back' clearly signals returning and 'double' conveys repetition, so a learner who knows both words can infer a sense related to going back or returning. However, the precise nuance of turning around and retracing one's route (rather than simply 'going back' once) is not fully predictable from the constituents, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Double back comes from a simple picture: you walk forward, then turn and go back a second time—the double action. That's why it means 'to turn around and go back the way you came'.