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revert back

B2 neutral intransitive
In simple words

To go back to the way things were before.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To return to a previous condition, habit, or way of behaving after a period of change.

"After a few weeks of healthy eating, she reverted back to her old habits of skipping breakfast."

2 B2 neutral

To return a system, device, or file to an earlier version or configuration.

"The software update caused problems, so the IT team reverted back to the previous version."

3 B2 idiomatic informal

(Informal, especially British) To reply or respond to someone — though this use is non-standard and often criticized.

"I'll revert back to you once I've checked the figures."

Usage notes

Note: 'revert back' is widely considered redundant since 'revert' already contains the meaning of 'back'. The preferred form is simply 'revert to'. However, 'revert back' is extremely common in everyday speech and informal writing.

Commonly used with

old habits original settings previous version default former self type

Forms

Base
revert back
I/you/we/they
3rd person
reverts back
he/she/it
Past simple
reverted back
yesterday
Past participle
reverted back
have + pp
-ing form
reverting back
continuous

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Synonyms

revert to go back to return to slip back into fall back into relapse into

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