Restoring, Returning, or Responding (Back), Starting, Preventing, or Postponing (Back), Checking, Reviewing, Considering (Through) and 5 More Topics · Phrasal Verbs with Back Through With At By

to respond to a person in authority, such as a parent or teacher, in a manner that is impolite or disrespectful

"Do not answer back to your parents."

"The child was disciplined for answering back to his teacher in a rude and disrespectful tone."

to make something or someone return or be returned to a particular place or condition

"Bring back some souvenirs please."

"The souvenir shop sells items that will bring back fond memories of your vacation in Paris."

to reverse one's direction and return along the same route, often to retrace one's steps or evade pursuers

"We doubled back to find the keys."

"The fox doubled back on its tracks to confuse the hunting dogs that were chasing it through the forest."

to respond to an email message by sending a reply or answer to the sender's original email address

"Please e-mail back soon."

"I will e-mail back to you with the details."

(of movies, novels, etc.) to present a scene or sequence that depicts events in the past

"The movie flashed back."

"The director chose to flash back to the character's childhood to explain his motivations."

to have strong memories or emotions from the past come back suddenly and vividly

"Memories flooded back suddenly."

"Memories of their time together flooded back when she heard the song that was playing on their first date."

to return to a place, state, or condition

"He gets back home before dark."

"I need to get back to work now because my lunch break is almost over and my boss is expecting me."

to return a call or call someone again because one was not available the first time they called

"I will ring back in ten minutes."

"The secretary said the manager was busy but he would ring back as soon as he finished his meeting."

to respond to someone by sending a text message

"Text me back when you arrive."

"I texted him an hour ago but he still has not texted back which is unusual for him."

to call someone back in response to a missed call

"Try back later this evening."

"The line was busy when I called so I will try back later in the afternoon."

to remember something or someone from the past

"I can call back memories."

"During the reunion, he could vividly call back nostalgic moments from their shared childhood."

to return to a previous state or condition, often after a period of decline or loss

"She will come back soon."

"The migratory birds will come back to this lake when the weather gets warmer in spring."

to contact someone again later to provide a response or reply, often after taking time to consider or research the matter

"I will get back to you soon."

"I will get back to you with an answer as soon as I have more information about the problem."

to return something that was previously received from a specific person or thing, such as money

"Give back the book."

"After borrowing the funds, he promised to give back the entire amount with interest."

to return something to its original location, owner, or starting point

"Take back the shirt."

"The customer decided to take back the faulty appliance to the store for a refund."

to return to a previous state or condition

"It will turn back time."

"Although she wished for it, there was no way to turn back the clock and undo her mistakes."

to stop oneself from openly expressing true feelings or thoughts

"She bit back tears."

"Despite feeling angry, he managed to bite back his sharp retort and maintain a calm demeanor."

to stop oneself from expressing feelings

"He choked back his tears."

"He choked back his tears as he gave the eulogy at his best friend's funeral."

to re-engage in an activity or situation after being away from it for some time

"Get back into shape quickly."

"After taking a year off she is trying to get back into the habit of exercising every day."

to resume or restart an activity that was previously interrupted or discontinued

"Let's go back to work."

"After a short break, the team decided to go back to their original plan for the project."

to prevent a feeling, emotion, or reaction from being expressed or displayed

"Keep back your anger."

"She tried to keep back her disappointment when she heard the bad news, but her expression betrayed her."

to reschedule an appointment or event for a later time or date

"Put back the meeting."

"We had to put back the conference by a week due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts with the speakers."

to cause a decline in the quality, strength, or advancement of something

"The storm set back progress."

"The unexpected budget cuts will inevitably set back the research team's ambitious timeline for developing a new vaccine."

to start again after taking a break or discontinuing an activity for a while

"I will get back to you."

"After the holiday break, I will get back to my studies with renewed focus."

to prevent someone or something from advancing or crossing a particular point

"Hold back the water."

"The security forces were ordered to hold back the crowd from entering the restricted area."

to quickly browse through the pages of a book, magazine, or other document without reading it thoroughly

"Flick through the magazine quickly."

"She idly flicked through the pages of the magazine while waiting for her appointment at the dentist's office."

to quickly look through the pages of a book or magazine without reading it all

"Flip through the magazine quickly."

"She flipped through the magazine quickly looking for the article about her favorite actor."

to quickly read or examine something

"Look through the old photo album."

"I spent the afternoon looking through old family photo albums and remembering happy times from my childhood."

to carefully search a place in order to find something specific

"Pick through the wreckage carefully."

"The archaeologist carefully picked through the soil looking for small fragments of ancient pottery."

to carefully read something from start to finish, often with the purpose of identifying errors

"Read through the contract thoroughly."

"You should read through the contract carefully before signing it."

to carefully review and sort through a substantial amount of material

"Sift through the evidence carefully."

"The detective had to sift through hundreds of pages of evidence to find the crucial clue."

to quickly read a text without studying the details

"Skim through the chapter quickly."

"I only had time to skim through the report before the important meeting started."

to carefully consider all aspects of a situation or decision

"Think through the consequences first."

"It is important to think through the consequences before making a major life decision."

to carefully examine a problem or situation in order to reach a solution

"Work through your problems carefully."

"We need to work through our differences calmly and find a solution that makes everyone happy."

to carefully look at or review something by going over it again

"Please go through the list."

"Before the exam, students were advised to go through their notes one last time."

to survive a disaster or difficult situation

"She lived through the war years."

"The elderly woman still remembers living through the difficult years of the Second World War."

to patiently endure the duration of an uninteresting event

"Sit through the boring lecture."

"The audience had to sit through a two hour lecture before the main event finally began."

to stay alive or recover after an unpleasant event such as a serious illness

"He came through surgery."

"Despite all the difficulties he managed to come through and complete the project successfully on time."

to succeed in passing or enduring a difficult experience or period

"We will get through this together."

"I need to get through this pile of paperwork before the end of the business day."

to experience or endure something, particularly a difficult or challenging situation

"We will go through this."

"The company had to go through significant restructuring during the economic downturn."

to experience a particular state or phase

"We will pass through this."

"The company is currently going through a difficult financial phase, but expects to recover soon."

to recover from an illness, a serious operation, or other difficult situations

"The patient pulled through finally."

"The doctors were not sure if the patient would pull through after the serious accident."

to experience a particular emotion or sensation quickly and suddenly

"A shiver will run through her."

"A sudden wave of relief began to run through him as he heard the positive news."

to quickly and directly deal with a problem or issue

"Cut through the red tape."

"The new manager promised to cut through the bureaucratic obstacles that had been hindering the company's progress."

(of a deal, plan, arrangement, etc.) to fail to happen or be completed

"The deal falls through at last."

"Our plans to go camping fell through because the weather forecast predicted heavy rain all weekend."

to complete a planned or promised action, even if it is difficult or undesirable

"She will go through with it."

"Despite her fears, she decided to go through with the challenging presentation to her colleagues."

to manage a situation in a satisfactory manner, even in the absence of proper knowledge, planning, or resources

"We muddled through somehow."

"Despite having no clear plan the team managed to muddle through and complete the project on time."

to work on something with determination, especially when it is long or challenging

"Plough through the report."

"Despite the overwhelming amount of paperwork, the dedicated intern continued to plough through the complex legal documents."

to succeed in doing something that requires great effort

"He scraped through the exam barely."

"The student managed to scrape through the final exam with the lowest possible passing grade."

to achieve success after putting in persistent effort and overcoming challenges

"She won through despite the obstacles."

"Despite many obstacles the team's determination helped them win through to the championship finals."

to successfully overcome or manage a problem or a difficult situation

"They will break through."

"Despite numerous setbacks, the determined team managed to break through the complex challenges of the project."

to deliver or provide something as promised or expected

"He came through with the prize."

"After promising to help, she finally came through with the much-needed financial assistance for the project."

to forcefully make one's way out or through a physical barrier or a crowd

"We pushed through the crowd."

"The determined hikers had to push through the dense undergrowth to reach the hidden waterfall."

(of a noticeable and positive attribute) to become apparent

"Her kindness shines through her actions."

"Despite all of the difficulties her kindness and generosity continued to shine through in everything she did for others."

to depart quickly, typically to evade a situation

"He had to shoot through the door."

"The thief shot through the back alley before the police could catch him."

to remain asleep without being awakened by a noise or activity

"He slept through the entire storm."

"The exhausted teenager managed to sleep through the loud thunderstorm without even waking up."

to guide someone through an explanation or demonstrate how to do something

"She will take you through."

"The experienced instructor will take you through the complex software step-by-step to ensure you understand its functions."

to discuss thoroughly and understand all the details of something

"Talk through the problem step by step."

"The therapist encouraged the couple to talk through their problems instead of shouting at each other."

to gently heat previously cooked or chilled food to bring it to a desired temperature

"Warm through the leftovers in the microwave."

"You can warm through the leftover soup in the microwave for about two minutes before serving it."

to go or move from one place to another, often without stopping or staying for long

"We passed through the small town."

"The ancient Silk Road trade route used to pass through many different countries and diverse cultural regions."

to cause someone to endure or undergo a challenging situation or experience

"It will put them through hardship."

"The prolonged negotiations and constant setbacks threatened to put the entire team through an unbearable amount of stress."

to successfully finish a task or project without giving up along the way

"See through the project."

"I can see through his plan because it is too obvious."

to physically or verbally attack someone

"He decided to go at him."

"The two competitors began to go at each other with harsh words after the referee made a controversial decision during the final match."

to make an effort to obtain or achieve something, often with a sense of desperation because of being unhappy with one's current situation

"He grasps at straws."

"Feeling overwhelmed by his debt, he began to grasp at any available opportunity to earn extra money."

to eagerly accept an opportunity or offer when it arises

"She jumped at the offer."

"When the dream job was advertised, she knew she had to jump at the chance to apply immediately."

to continue working on a task, project, or goal without giving up

"Keep at your studies diligently."

"If you keep at your studies every day you will eventually see significant improvement in your grades."

to do something in an unserious manner and without dedication

"They play at being artists."

"He doesn't really want to be a musician; he just likes to play at being one."

to guess a value or amount for something

"I put it at fifty."

"Based on the initial evidence, the detective decided to put the suspect's age at around thirty-five years old."

to continue making efforts toward achieving a goal

"Stick at it until you succeed."

"It is important to stick at a difficult task until you have successfully completed it."

to talk to someone without really listening or letting them join the conversation

"He just talks at you."

"During the meeting, the manager tended to talk at his employees rather than engaging in a genuine discussion."

to attempt to improve something

"Work at improving your skills."

"If you want to improve your language skills you need to work at them every single day."

to suddenly move toward someone to threaten them or physically attack them

"The dog did come at me."

"The angry man suddenly came at the security guard without any warning, causing everyone to panic."

to attack or assault someone or something in a violent or aggressive manner

"The dog flew at him."

"Enraged by the intrusion, the wild boar suddenly turned and began to fly at the startled hikers."

to try to say something without directly mentioning it

"What are you driving at?"

"I'm not sure what he was driving at during the meeting yesterday."

to strike or touch something or someone with force or intention

"He hit at the door."

"The frustrated child began to hit at the locked door, hoping to get his parents' attention."

to focus one's attention on something or someone in order to observe or examine them

"Look at the sky."

"The detective decided to look at the evidence again with a fresh perspective."

to cause irritation or annoyance to someone

"He will get at you."

"His constant criticism and undermining remarks were clearly intended to get at her confidence."

to frequently criticize someone about small issues

"Don't pick at me."

"It's unproductive to pick at your colleagues over minor grammatical errors in their reports."

to work toward a specific goal

"We aim at success."

"The company's new marketing strategy is designed to aim at a younger demographic with tailored advertisements."

to put something aside for future use

"Lay by some money for emergencies."

"The wise farmer would lay by some grain each harvest to prepare for the winter months."

to save money for future use or needs

"Put by some savings monthly."

"It is a good habit to put by a portion of your salary each month for emergencies."

to follow the rules, commands, or wishes of someone, showing compliance to their authority

"You must abide by the rules."

"All employees must abide by the company's strict safety rules or face immediate termination."

to visit a place or someone briefly, often without a prior arrangement

"She drops by her friend's house."

"Please drop by my office anytime this afternoon so we can discuss the details of your new project."

to tell someone about an idea, especially to know their opinion about it

"Run this by me."

"Could you run this proposal by your supervisor before we present it to the board?"

to be capable of living or doing something using the available resources, knowledge, money, etc.

"She gets by on a small salary."

"It is difficult to get by on a low salary in an expensive city like New York or London."

to have just enough money or resources to survive, but not much more

"We barely scrape by financially."

"It is very difficult to scrape by on a minimum wage salary in an expensive city like London."

to remain committed to someone or something, especially during challenging or difficult times

"Stick by your friends always."

"Her loyal friends decided to stick by her during the difficult time even when others turned away."

to be certain that something is good or useful

"I swear by this book."

"Many athletes swear by this particular training regimen for achieving peak physical performance and endurance."

to visit or stop by a place for a brief period

"Can you come by later?"

"Please come by my desk after the meeting to discuss your project proposal."

to pass a certain point in time

"Time goes by very fast."

"Time seems to go by very quickly when you are enjoying yourself with friends and family."

to continue moving forward, particularly in reference to time

"Time will pass by."

"As the years pass by, we often reflect on the significant lessons learned from past experiences."

to refrain from taking action when it is necessary

"Do not stand by and watch."

"He was criticized for his decision to stand by while the injustice unfolded."