Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
989,407,836 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

aback

   Also found in: Idioms 0.03 sec.
a·back  (-bk)
adv.
1. By surprise: He was taken aback by her caustic remarks.
2. Nautical In such a way that the wind pushes against the forward side of a sail or sails.
3. Archaic Back; backward.

aback
Adverb
taken aback startled or disconcerted
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adv.1.abackaback - having the wind against the forward side of the sails; "the ship came up into the wind with all yards aback"
2.abackaback - by surprise; "taken aback by the caustic remarks"

aback
adverb taken aback surprised, thrown, shocked, stunned, confused, astonished, staggered, startled, bewildered, astounded, disconcerted, bowled over (informal) stupefied, floored (informal) knocked for six, dumbfounded, left open-mouthed, nonplussed, flabbergasted (informal)
Translations
Spanish aback [əˈbæk] adv to be taken aback → quedar(se) desconcertado
French aback [əˈbæk] adv to be taken aback → être décontenancé(e)
German aback [əˈbæk] adv to be taken aback → verblüfft sein
Italian aback [əˈbæk] adv to be taken aback → essere sbalordito/a

?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
And yet the fact remains that, had the wind failed and the fleet lost steerage way, or, worse still, had it been taken aback from the eastward, with its leaders within short range of the enemy's guns, nothing, it seems, could have saved the headmost ships from capture or destruction.
Boris remembered Natasha in a short dress, with dark eyes shining from under her curls and boisterous, childish laughter, as he had known her four years before; and so he was taken aback when quite a different Natasha entered, and his face expressed rapturous astonishment.
Maybe he did kick me, and I didn't observe it, I was so taken all aback with his brow, somehow.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.