Starting, Preventing, or Postponing (Back): English Vocabulary List

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."