transitive verb
1. : to delay the progress or advance of : check
armies concentrated to … throw back the British striking forces — Tom Wintringham
2. : to cause to rely : make dependent
the Boston mind, thrown back upon itself, resumed its old colonial allegiance — Van Wyck Brooks
3. : reflect
pavements throw back the lights in wavy lines — Thomas Wood †1950
intransitive verb
: to revert to an earlier type or phase ; specifically : to exhibit atavism
the tendency of all varieties of pigeons to throw back — American Pigeon Journal