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throw back

B2 neutral separable both
In simple words

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.

Literal meaning: To throw something in the direction it originally came from.

Meanings

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."

Grammar: separable
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."

Grammar: 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."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

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.

Commonly used with

past memory ancestry nostalgia opponent fish

Forms

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

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