aback

əˈbæk

Definition

Definition of aback - Reverso English Dictionary

Adverb

surprise

Dated

surprised or shocked, unable to respond

Dated

She was taken aback by the sudden news.

astonished

startled

maritime

TECH.

sails pressed backward by the wind

TECH.

The ship was aback due to the strong winds.

windward

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Expressions with aback

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.

take aback

cause someone to feel surprised or shocked

The news took everyone aback.

Origin of aback

Old English, on bæc (at or on the back)

Terms with aback included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

take aback

maritime

catch a ship with its sails aback suddenly

Examples of aback in a sentence

The announcement left everyone aback.
The sudden gust left the sails aback unexpectedly.
With the sails aback, the crew had to act quickly.

View all translations of aback

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:pris de court, vent debout, ...
German:überrascht, gegen den Wind, ...
Italian:scioccata, in cappa, ...
Spanish:sorprendido, al pairo, ...
Portuguese:chocada, de través, ...
Chinese:惊讶地, 迎风, ...
Japanese:驚いて, 逆風に, ...
Arabic:مندهش, عَكْسِيًّا, ...
Hebrew:בְּהֶלֶם, לְאָחוֹר, ...
Russian:ошеломлена, остановлен ветром, ...
Ukrainian:здивована, заднім ходом, ...
Hindi:हैरान, पीछे की ओर, ...
Bengali:হতবাক, পিছনের দিকে, ...
Catalan:sorpresa, amb les veles enrere, ...
Czech:zaskočeně, s plachtami proti větru, ...
Danish:overrasket, bakket, ...
Dutch:verrast, door de wind naar achteren gedrukt, ...
Greek:έκπληκτος, ανάποδα, ...
Hungarian:meghökkenve, hátraszorított vitorlákkal, ...
Khmer:ដោយស្រឡាំងកាំង, ដោយខ្យល់បក់ច្រានសំពៅទៅក្រោយ, ...
Korean:깜짝 놀라, 돛이 뒤로 밀렸다, ...
Persian:متعجب, به عقب, ...
Polish:oszołomiona, wstrzymany, ...
Portuguese (BR):chocada, à deriva, ...
Romanian:șocat, luată prin surprindere, ...
Swedish:förbluffad, bakåt, ...
Thai:ประหลาดใจ, ใบเรือถูกลมพัดกลับ, ...
Turkish:şaşkına dönmüş, rüzgara karşı, ...
Vietnamese:bị bất ngờ, gió thổi ngược, ...

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