throw back
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈθɹəʊ bæk/
  • (America) IPA: /ˈθɹoʊ bæk/
Verb
  1. (transitive) To hinder the development of something.
  2. (intransitive) To revert to an earlier stage of development.
    • The Century
      A large proportion of the steerage passengers throw back to their Darwinian ancestry.
  3. To retort.
    • 2011, Delores Haltom, The Stonecutter: How the Word Became Flesh (page 120)
      She jumped to her feet and began stalking away. “Going to cost me fifteen dollars to clean this outfit,” she threw back over her shoulder.
  4. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see throw, back
    I threw back my head and laughed uproariously.
    We caught several fish in the river but threw them back.
Related terms


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