INDEX:
1. to go to the place where you were before
2. to go back to a place that you have visited before
3. when you return somewhere
4. a journey back to the place where you started
5. a ticket that allows you to go somewhere and to return to where you started
RELATED WORDS
to give something back : ↑ GIVE (11)
to take someone or something back to the place they came from : ↑ TAKE (4)
to put something back in the place where it was before : ↑ PUT (2)
see also
↑ HOME
↑ TRAVEL
◆◆◆
1. to go to the place where you were before
▷ go back /ˌgəʊ ˈbæk/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
▪ I left my hometown 12 years ago, and I have no desire to go back.
go back to
▪ When will you be going back to Japan?
go back for
▪ We’ll have to go back for the tickets - I think I left them on the desk.
go back in/out/inside/downstairs etc
▪ It’s cold out here - shall we go back inside?
▪ The phone started ringing again as soon as I went back upstairs.
go back the way you came
▪ Part of the trail was flooded, so we had to go back the way we had come.
go back home
▪ Frank’s gone back home to visit his parents and won’t be back for a week.
▷ come back /ˌkʌm ˈbæk/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if someone comes back, they return to the place where you are :
▪ Rachel’s left me, and I don’t think she’ll ever come back.
come back to
▪ When will you be coming back to London?
come back from
▪ He’s just come back from a vacation in Miami.
come back for
▪ Whoever left the gloves will probably come back for them tomorrow.
▷ return /rɪˈtɜːʳn/ [intransitive verb]
to go back or come back to the place where you were before. Return is used more in written or formal contexts than go back or come back :
▪ I left early, but promised to return the next day.
return to
▪ He had to return to India to look after his mother.
return from
▪ Alastair returned from the office late that night.
return home
▪ As the soldiers returned home, their wives had to readjust to living with them again.
▷ go home /ˌgəʊ ˈhəʊm/ [verb phrase]
to return to your home or to the country where you were born :
▪ It’s late - I should go home now.
▪ John used to go home once a month when he was at college.
go home to
▪ I’ve enjoyed my time in Europe, but I’m really looking forward to going home to America.
▷ get in/get home /ˌget ˈɪn, ˌget ˈhəʊm/ [verb phrase]
to return to the house where you live :
▪ What time did you get in last night?
▪ I usually get home about 7:30 - you can try calling me after that.
get in/get home from
▪ He hasn’t had anything to eat yet. He just got home from work.
▷ be back /biː ˈbæk/ [verb phrase]
to be in the place where you were before you went away :
▪ Jack! What a surprise! How long have you been back?
▪ Carol is away on business, but she should be back next week.
▪ We’ll get together when you’re back from vacation.
▷ back /bæk/ [adverb]
run/drive/fly/walk etc back
go back to where you were before by running, driving etc :
▪ We took the train to Paris, but flew back.
back to/from etc
▪ We cycled back from the beach in the evening.
▪ It was a beautiful day, so I decided to walk back to the office.
2. to go back to a place that you have visited before
▷ return/go back /rɪˈtɜːʳn, ˌgəʊ ˈbæk/ [intransitive verb/intransitive phrasal verb]
▪ China was fascinating - I hope I’ll be able to return one day.
return/go back for
▪ The dentist says I have to go back again next week for a check up.
return/go back to do something
▪ These birds return to the same place every year to build their nests.
▪ He’ll have to go back to Moscow in June to finalize the deal.
▷ revisit /riːˈvɪzɪt, riːˈvɪzət/ [transitive verb]
to go back to a place that you have been to before, especially a place that you like and that you have not visited for a long time :
▪ Maria was eager to revisit her first school.
▪ They revisited many of the places they had gone to on their honeymoon.
3. when you return somewhere
▷ somebody’s return / somebodyˈs rɪˈtɜːʳn/ [noun phrase] formal :
▪ We eagerly await your return.
▪ Immediately after his return he was forced to do his military service.
on somebody’s return
when they return
▪ On her return, she found that someone had broken into her apartment.
sb’s return from
▪ Albertson died within one year of his return from Africa.
▷ homecoming /ˈhəʊmˌkʌmɪŋ/ []
your return to your home or to the country where you were born after you have been away for a long time, especially when this is celebrated in some way :
▪ We arranged a party for my brother’s homecoming, when he returned from five years in Australia.
▪ Coming back for her uncle’s funeral was not a happy homecoming for her.
4. a journey back to the place where you started
▷ return /rɪˈtɜːʳn/ [adjective only before noun]
return journey/trip/flight etc
:
▪ The sea was much calmer on the return voyage.
▪ The return trip took about an hour less than the trip there.
▷ there and back /ˌðeər ən ˈbæk/ [adverb]
to a place and back again to the place that you started from :
▪ How long will it take to drive there and back?
▪ ‘How far is it to Milwaukee?’ ‘It’s about 30 miles there and back.’
5. a ticket that allows you to go somewhere and to return to where you started
▷ return/return ticket /rɪˈtɜːʳn, rɪˌtɜːʳn ˈtɪkə̇t/ [countable noun] British
a ticket that includes your return journey :
▪ How much is a return ticket to Dublin?
▪ Would you like singles or returns, Sir?
return [adverb]
▪ It costs $475 return to Helsinki for a return ticket to Helsinki .
▷ round-trip ticket /ˈraʊnd ˌtrɪp tɪkə̇t/ [countable noun] American
a ticket that includes your return journey :
▪ There’s no point in buying a one-way ticket when a round-trip ticket is the same price.
round-trip [adverb]
▪ The ferry costs only $5 round-trip per person.