1 A2 neutral
To throw something back to the place or person it came from.
"She caught the ball and threw it back to her teammate."
separable
throw back
B2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To return something by throwing it; to cause someone to remember or be reminded of the past; or to reveal a genetic trait from an earlier ancestor.
In plain English
To throw something back where it came from; or when something reminds you of the past, or when a child looks like a distant ancestor.
What does "throw back" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To cause someone to be strongly reminded of the past; to evoke a strong sense of a past time.
"Hearing that song threw me back to my university days immediately."
separable
3 C1 idiomatic informal
(Genetics/informal) To exhibit a characteristic that resembles a distant ancestor rather than one's parents; a throwback.
"With his red hair in a family of brunettes, the boy was clearly a throwback to his great-grandfather."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To throw something in the direction it originally came from.
Actually means
To throw something back where it came from; or when something reminds you of the past, or when a child looks like a distant ancestor.
Usage tip
Has several distinct uses: (1) physical return, (2) 'throwback' as a noun/adjective to mean something reminiscent of the past (very common in social media, e.g. #throwback), (3) genetics: an animal or person that resembles a distant ancestor. The passive 'be thrown back on' means to be forced to rely on something.
Words that pair with "throw back"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
past memory ancestry nostalgia opponent fish
How to conjugate "throw back"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
throw back
I/you/we/they
3rd person
throws back
he/she/it
Past simple
threw back
yesterday
Past participle
thrown back
have + pp
-ing form
throwing back
continuous
Hear "throw back" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "throw back" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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