1 C1 informal
To carefully manoeuvre or nudge something back into its original position through patient, persistent effort.
"The surgeon slowly worried the bone fragment back into place."
separable
worry back
C1 informal separable transitive
To manoeuvre or nudge something back into position through persistent, patient effort; or to keep returning to a worry in one's mind.
In plain English
To slowly and carefully move something back, or to keep thinking about a worry and bringing it back to your mind.
What does "worry back" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic informal
To find one's mind involuntarily returning to an anxious thought.
"No matter how hard she tried to sleep, her mind kept worrying back to the test results."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
From 'worry' in the older sense of gnawing or persistently pulling — to gnaw or push something 'back'.
Actually means
To slowly and carefully move something back, or to keep thinking about a worry and bringing it back to your mind.
Usage tip
A rare phrase with two possible uses. In the physical sense, it describes carefully manipulating something back into place (like a dog worrying a bone). In the psychological sense, it describes involuntarily returning to an anxious thought. Neither sense is common in modern usage. Learners are unlikely to encounter this phrase frequently.
Words that pair with "worry back"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
thought bone problem item position
How to conjugate "worry back"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
worry back
I/you/we/they
3rd person
worries back
he/she/it
Past simple
worried back
yesterday
Past participle
worried back
have + pp
-ing form
worrying back
continuous
Hear "worry back" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "worry back" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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