come back phrasal verb (
see also come)
1. to return to a particular place or person
Synonym : return:
My mother was scared that if I left home I’d never come back. Ginny’s left me, and there’s nothing I can do to persuade her to come back.2. to become fashionable or popular again ⇒
comeback:
Who’d have thought hippy gear would ever come back! High heels are coming back into fashion.3. to appear or start to affect someone or something again
Synonym : return:
The pain in her arm came back again. It took a while for my confidence to come back.4. if something comes back to you, you remember it or remember how to do it:
As I walked the city streets, the memories came flooding back.come back to I can’t think of her name at the moment, but it’ll come back to me.5. to reply to someone quickly, often in an angry or unkind way ⇒
comebackcome back at He came back at me immediately, accusing me of being a liar. [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲
return to go back or come back to a place where you were before.
Return sounds more formal than
go back or
come back, and is more commonly used in written English:
She returned to the hotel hoping to find a message. Alastair returned from the office late that night. On Friday, I returned home around six o'clock.go back to go to the place where you were before, or to the place where you usually live:
It’s cold out here – shall we go back inside? When are you going back to Japan?go home to go to your home again, or to the country where you were born, after you have been away from it:
I did a bit of shopping and then went home. Are you going home to Hong Kong when the course finishes?come back to come to the place where you are again, after going away from it:
I’ll be away for two days – coming back on Thursday night. He’s just come back from a vacation in Miami.get back to arrive somewhere where you were before, especially your home or the place where you are staying:
We got back at about 9 o'clock. She couldn’t wait to get back to London.turn back to turn around and go back in the direction you came from:
We took the wrong road and had to turn back. He ordered the soldiers to turn back and march south.profit money that you gain by selling things or doing business, after your costs have been paid:
Our profits are down this year. The big oil companies have made enormous profits following the rise in oil prices.earnings the profit that a company makes:
The company said it expected fourth-quarter earnings to be lower than last year’s results. Pre-tax earnings have grown from $6.3 million to $9.4 million.turnover the amount of business done during a particular period:
The illicit drugs industry has an annual turnover of some £200 bn.takings the money that a business, shop etc gets from selling its goods in a day, week, month etc:
He counted the night’s takings. This week’s takings are up on last week’s.interest money paid to you by a bank or other financial institution when you keep money in an account there:
They are offering a high rate of interest on deposits of over £3000. The money is still earning interest in your account.dividend a part of a company’s profit that is divided among the people who have shares in the company:
Shareholders will receive a dividend of 10p for each share. The company said it will pay shareholders a final dividend of 700 cents a share. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲
come back v.,
informal 1. To reply; answer.
The lawyer came back sharply in defense of his client. No matter how the audience heckled him, the comedian always had an answer to come back with. 2. To get a former place or position back, reach again a place which you have lost.
After a year off to have her baby, the singer came back to even greater fame. It is hard for a retired prize fighter to come hack and beat a younger man. [TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲