hark back
Of hounds: to retrace a course in order to pick up the lost scent of preyOf hounds: to retrace a course in order to pick up the lost scent of prey.
Meaning
4 senses(intransitive)Of hounds: to retrace a course in order to pick up the lost scent of prey.
auf etw. zurückgreifen, zurückgreifen
(broadly, intransitive)To return to where one has previously been; to retrace one's steps.
(figuratively, intransitive)To allude, return, or revert (to a subject previously mentioned, etc.); also, to evoke, or long or pine for (a past era or event).
(transitive)To call back (hounds); to recall.
go back to something earlier
Translations
2 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From hark (“to listen attentively”) + back (“to or in a previous condition or place”, adveFrom hark (“to listen attentively”) + back (“to or in a previous condition or place”, adverb), originally a hunting command to hounds meaning “Listen! Go back!”.
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Forms
harks back, harking back, harked back, harked back| Base form | hark back · to hark back |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | harks back |
| Present participle | harking back |
| Past simple | harked back |
| Past participle | harked back |
irregular
Synonyms
7 synonymsWord family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Phrasal verbs: introduction — Because it is a phrasal verb