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If our extinction proceeds slowly enough to allow a moment of horrified realization, the doers of the deed will likely be quite taken aback on realizing that they have actually destroyed the world. Therefore I suggest that if the Earth is destroyed, it will probably be by mistake.
Eliezer Yudkowsky

Meaning of "aback" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD ABACK

Old English on bæc to the back.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF ABACK

aback  [əˈbæk] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF ABACK

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Aback is an adverb.
The adverb is an invariable part of the sentence that can change, explain or simplify a verb or another adverb.

WHAT DOES ABACK MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of aback in the English dictionary

The definition of aback in the dictionary is towards the back; backwards.


WORDS THAT RHYME WITH ABACK


back
bæk
bareback
ˈbɛəˌbæk
callback
ˈkɔːlˌbæk
cashback
ˈkæʃˌbæk
comeback
ˈkʌmˌbæk
cornerback
ˈkɔːnəˌbæk
feedback
ˈfiːdˌbæk
flashback
ˈflæʃˌbæk
hatchback
ˈhætʃˌbæk
hold-back
ˈhəʊldˌbæk
horseback
ˈhɔːsˌbæk
outback
ˈaʊtˌbæk
paperback
ˈpeɪpəˌbæk
payback
ˈpeɪˌbæk
playback
ˈpleɪˌbæk
quarterback
ˈkwɔːtəˌbæk
reback
riːˈbæk
snapback
ˈsnæpˌbæk
splashback
ˈsplæʃˌbæk
throwback
ˈθrəʊˌbæk

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE ABACK

aba
abac
abaca
abaci
abacterial
abactinal
abactinally
abactor
abacus
Abadan
Abaddon
abaft
abaka
Abakan
abalone
abalone shell
abampere
aband
abandon
abandon ship

WORDS THAT END LIKE ABACK

back to back
back-to-back
bounce back
fallback
get back
go back
hardback
hold back
humpback
laid-back
look back
lower back
negative feedback
pat on the back
positive feedback
setback
sit back
slap on the back
take back
upper back

Synonyms and antonyms of aback in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «aback» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF ABACK

Find out the translation of aback to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of aback from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «aback» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

吓了一跳
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

desconcertado
570 millions of speakers

English

aback
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

अचंभे
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

فوجئت
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

врасплох
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

desconcertado
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

abaci
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

surpris
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Abaci
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

verblüfft
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

びっくり
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

당황
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Abaci
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

lùi trở lại
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

abaci
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

Abaci
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Abacı
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

alla sprovvista
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

zaskoczony
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

зненацька
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

prin surprindere
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αιφνιδιάστηκε
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

verras
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

aback
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

bakk
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of aback

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ABACK»

The term «aback» is quite widely used and occupies the 44.092 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
80
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «aback» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of aback
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «aback».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «ABACK» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «aback» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «aback» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about aback

EXAMPLES

5 QUOTES WITH «ABACK»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word aback.
1
Summer Altice
People are taken aback by a confident, pretty girl who knows what she wants in life and isn't going to let anyone get in her way. And you know what it's all about? Jealousy.
2
Richard Fleeshman
I've never really been star struck. I was a little bit taken aback when I was doing a chat show recently and I was sat in the make-up chair chatting to a guy say next to me but I couldn't look round and see who it was, it was only when I got up I realised it had been Bryan Adams I'd been talking to!
3
Michael Harney
Even when I do roles that are really profoundly abusive, like, I would say, in 'Deadwood' - there's a guy who's a breeding ground for ignorance and hurtful behavior - the fact that people are so taken aback by that is a good thing because they're looking at themselves, and there's a part of me in there, too.
4
Mila Kunis
People have interpretations of what you're supposed to be like. If you're unattractive and overweight, you must have a great personality. If you're attractive, then you must not be the nicest person. People are always taken aback that I'm easygoing but not necessarily stupid.
5
Eliezer Yudkowsky
If our extinction proceeds slowly enough to allow a moment of horrified realization, the doers of the deed will likely be quite taken aback on realizing that they have actually destroyed the world. Therefore I suggest that if the Earth is destroyed, it will probably be by mistake.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ABACK»

Discover the use of aback in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to aback and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The English Dialect Dictionary: Being the Complete ...
Not in S. & Ork.1 ABACK, prep, and adv. In Sc. and all the n. counties to Lin. and Chs., Stf. War. [aba'k.] 1. prep. Of position : behind, to the rear (usually with prep. of). Nhb.1 Howay aback o' the hoose an' aa'll show ye. He com' in at the finish ...
Joseph Wright, 1898
2
The English Dialect Dictionary, Being the Complete ...
Yks. Lan. [abfi'k] 1. prep. Of position: behind, to the rear. Gen. wit 0 . Sc. (A.W.) Ant . Aback o' the midden, STEVENSON PatMcCarty (1903) 44. Lakel. A tale may be told about some one aback of his back; and another comes frae aback o' t'fells, ...
Joseph Wright, 1905
3
Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage
'behind, to the rear' + cit from Ayr: 'The third that gaed a wee aback'] D In present BrE, OED says aback is now confined chiefly to nautical lang. IT-1 says it is ' archaic' or 'nautical' in AmE. The development of this sense (wh seems confined to ...
Richard Allsopp, Jeannette Allsopp, 2003
4
Evolution of Corporate Financial Reporting (RLE Accounting)
aBack. to anageof falling prices?«, The Economist(13 July 1974), pp. 62¥63. 8. A. C. Littleton andV. K. Zimmerman, Accounting Theory: Continuity and Change ( Prentice-Hall, account of these in A. C. Littleton developments is to be found ...
T. A. Lee, Robert H. Parker, 2014
5
A Naval Encyclopædia: Comprising a Dictionary of Nautical ...
They are mug l aback, or taken aback, by a shift of wind, or by inattention at the helm. Flat aback means that the wind acts nearly at a right angle to the forward surface of the sail. Taken aback is also used fl'guratively for being taken by surprise ...
‎1884
6
The New American Practical Navigator: Being an Epitome of ...
The main-topsail must be braced sharp aback, keeping the fore and mizzen- topsajls full, because the wind acts with a very small sine of incidence on a sail when full, in comparison to what it does when braced sharp aback ; so that the ...
Nathaniel Bowditch, Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch, 1846
7
The New American Practical Navigator: Being an Epitome of ...
If she has been going large, she will not range precisely head to wind, since her head- way ceases as soon as the sails are taken aback, and the effort of the wind acts on all the rigging of the ship to impel her both astern and to leeward, which ...
Nathaniel Bowditch, 1837
8
American Practical Navigator
To lie to windward of a ship so as not to drift near her. The main-topsoil must be braced sharp aback, keeping the fore and mizzen-topsoil full, because the wind acts with a ve small sine of incidence on a sail when full, in com parison to what it  ...
9
The New American Practical Navigator; Being an Epitome of ...
The main-topsail must be braced sharp aback, keeping the fore and mizzen- topsails full, because the wind acts with a very small sine of incidence on a sail when full, in comparison to what it does when braced sharp aback ; so that the ...
Nathaniel Bowditch, 1846
10
Northumberland Words
ABACK, ABACK A, ABACKEN, behind, at the back of— sometimes shortened to back. " Howay aback o' the hoose an' aa'll show ye." " He com' in at the finish just aback on him." " Aw dream'd aw was at the North Fowl, It's a fine place aback o' ...
Oliver Heslop, 1892

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ABACK»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term aback is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Clinton Campaign Frustrates Journalists Yet Again By Roping Off …
While campaign reporters were taken aback by the rope tactics Saturday, there is apparently some precedent stretching back to Bill Clinton's ... «Huffington Post, Jul 15»
2
How to survive losing your star employee or partner
Your final step is to make sure you're never taken aback again. No matter how you choose to change or update your business, you'll need to ... «Fortune, Jul 15»
3
Being a liberal in Texas is not all that bad
Many of our Kingwood Area Democrats were taken aback. A few were even incensed and simply walked away. As the doctor attempted to ... «Daily Kos, Jul 15»
4
Farmers' Market hopes to plant new seeds of success
At first Daugherty said he was surprised, even taken aback, but after sweating in the fields he understands the mark. Now, he hopes he can ... «The Tennessean, Jul 15»
5
Brad Stevens: Terry Rozier's 'speed is the highest level'
Once we start going up and down in the fullcourt, he did a lot of things that kind of took you aback. At the same time, he's got a lot to learn and a ... «FOXSports.com, Jul 15»
6
In 40 Years Since Arthur Ashe's Historic Wimbledon Win, Progress …
In 2012, after losing to Angelique Kerber at the U.S. Open, Venus Williams told ESPN, she was taken aback by what she considered newfound ... «Bleacher Report, Jul 15»
7
The Heartbreaking Reality Of Raising A Teenage Addict
I'm taken aback by the detail in his drawings. When did he learn to do this? As I sit fascinated by what I'm reading, he sits next to me with arms ... «Yahoo Parenting, Jul 15»
8
Top 10 Things You'll Look Up From The Delivery Room
“I knew nothing about catheters, and was a bit taken aback when I received one,” she says. “In retrospect, I would have like to know about that ... «Yahoo Parenting, Jul 15»
9
Third eye: When former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran got …
The team was taken aback to see some little known faces, who are not even members of BJP or affiliated to it in any way, appearing on ... «Economic Times, Jul 15»
10
Northvale home the right place for building family values
And they said they weren't even taken aback by the dark paneling that made the place look like a cave. "We're people who can see the bones," ... «NorthJersey.com, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Aback [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/aback>. Apr 2024 ».
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