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to win back

to win back

33 3.4
Get back someone or something you lost
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : recuperar
  • He worked hard to win back the trust of his customers after the mistake.
  • win back support

So Osama finds another plan to maybe win back the heart of the Royals.

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Examples

  • Now it was time to win back my old client.

  • Perhaps you’ll give him a chance to win back some of those years.

  • But it starts with you making the time to win back your freedom.

  • But you are actually in a place where you are making the kind of money that will win back your freedom.

  • And you will win back your people.

  • For their part, the GOP knows they need to find a way to win back those folks whose rights they took away.

  • I had to win back the support for moderation.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Wilson made every effort to win back immigrant support.

    Academic text (1994)
  • I'm winning back the sympathies of my constituents.

  • Like mea culpas are really powerful and really important and they can win back trust.

Synonyms

to get back
vsto win back
1.6

Have again something you had before it was lost or taken

is broader, covering recovery of people or things without speed emphasis
to recover
vsto win back
748 2.5

Get back to a normal state after a loss, for example health or money

focuses specifically on getting back people or items rather than general recovery
to restore
vsto win back
313 3.4

Return someone to their family or a thing to its owner

emphasizes reclaiming lost people or things rather than restoring condition
to regain
vsto win back
275 3.3

To get something back after losing it

also includes getting people back as well as belongings
to reinstate
vsto win back
110 5.8

To return a person or thing to a previous position like a job

also applies to people or things lost but not only official roles
to reclaim
vsto win back
77 4.1

To get back something you lost or gave away

is more general, meaning recover without the formal claiming action
to retake
vsto win back
31 4.6

To take back control of a place after it was lost

covers peaceful recovery as well as forceful repossession
to reacquire
vsto win back
5 5.5

To get something back after you lose or give it up

covers regaining by any means, not only repurchase
to regain trust
vsto win back
1 3.9

To win back someone's trust after you lost it

is broader, applying to recovering things or people as well as trust
to reattain
vsto win back
7.3

To get something back after you lose it

focuses on regaining people or possessions rather than achieving levels

How Complete

to restore
219 3.5
to win back
33 3.4
to regain
275 3.3
to reclaim
77 4.1
to get back
1.6

Surface Forms

win back infinitive
winning back present participle
wins back third person singular
won back past
won back past participle

Morphology

win + back

The meaning 'to recover or regain' is directly derivable from combining 'win' (to gain/earn) with 'back' used in the directional/return sense (again/back), yielding 'gain again' or 'regain'. This is a regular verb+particle compositional pattern found across many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb win back gives a simple picture: you try to win something again and bring it back to you after it was lost. That's why it means 'to regain' or 'get back' someone or something.