to peel back
11
3.4
- phrasal verb
- /piːl bæk/
:
retirar
- Lieutenant Kastanas pulled his rations from the fire and carefully peeled back the top of the can.
- peel back a layer
You know, guys, we were peeling back layers of this onion today.
- You know, guys, we were peeling back layers of this onion today.
- Why do you think you continue to peel back the curtain?
- And gently and slowly and safely begin to peel back the layers or take the bricks off the wall.
- And it was that wrapper that the FBI wanted to peel back.
- And really, what the secret is is you peel back the layers.
- Obama peeled back the curtain on Trump's moral bankruptcy.
- And that's what separates the the good, the best brands from the good brands is they're able to peel back the layers, right.
- So we'll go through each of those and then more specifically, we're going to peel back the cryptography.
- So, you know, to me, when you peel back those layers, it's like, OK, well, that makes sense.
- And for the years following leaving the church, it was a process of slowly purging and peeling back and processing those things.
Examples
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This technology has peeled back a layer to reveal another universe.
-
As you peel back the layers of paint, you reveal the original color of the wall.
-
So you can see as you peel back this layer.
-
So every time you listen, you, like, peel back another layer.
-
Why do you think you continue to peel back the curtain?
-
And really, what the secret is is you peel back the layers.
-
So, you know, to me, when you peel back those layers, it's like, OK, well, that makes sense.
-
You just have to peel back the layers...
-
So we'll go through each of those and then more specifically, we're going to peel back the cryptography.
-
And gently and slowly and safely begin to peel back the layers or take the bricks off the wall.
Synonyms
42
2.7
Remove all covering or contents from an object so it is left bare
41
2.7
To take something off from where it is attached
25
1.0
To take something off a surface carefully
12
3.0
To pull something off quickly until it rips
9
3.7
To remove clothes or a cover completely and quickly
8
6.2
To come off in thin layers, like peeling bark
8
3.4
To take off the outer layer by pulling it
1
3.4
To remove the outer covering from things like fruit or labels
To take cloth coverings off something to show it
To remove the outer layer or covering from something, for example the bark of a tree
Antonyms
How Exposed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'peel' (to remove a skin or layer) combined with the particle 'back' (indicating movement away) yields a meaning of pulling a covering away, which is directly derivable from the constituents. This verb + particle pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows transparent compositional rules, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Peel back comes from the simple image of pulling a layer away, like when you peel an orange or pull a sticker back to show what is under it. That's why it means 'to remove a covering or reveal something slowly or carefully'.