TAKE ABACK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does take aback mean? 

• TAKE ABACK (verb)
  The verb TAKE ABACK has 1 sense:

1. surprise greatly; knock someone's socks off

  Familiarity information: TAKE ABACK used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TAKE ABACK (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Surprise greatly; knock someone's socks off

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

ball over; blow out of the water; floor; shock; take aback

Context example:

I was floored when I heard that I was promoted

Hypernyms (to "take aback" is one way to...):

surprise (cause to be surprised)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "take aback"):

galvanise; galvanize; startle (to stimulate to action)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

The bad news will take aback him
The good news will take aback her
The performance is likely to take aback Sue