to win back
- phrasal verb
- 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.
- So Osama finds another plan to maybe win back the heart of the Royals.
- 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.
- But she gets drawn into schemes to try to, you know, win back their, their, their, their place and all of that.
- They want to win back their spouse and there are obstacles in between, you know, so you can call that an engine.
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
Have again something you had before it was lost or taken
Get back to a normal state after a loss, for example health or money
Return someone to their family or a thing to its owner
To get something back after losing it
To return a person or thing to a previous position like a job
To get back something you lost or gave away
To take back control of a place after it was lost
To get something back after you lose or give it up
To win back someone's trust after you lost it
To get something back after you lose it
How Complete
Surface Forms
Morphology
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.