Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Look Back |
Look BackVerb1. Look towards one's back. 2. Look back upon (a period of time, sequence of events, etc.); remember; "she reviewed her achievements with pride". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Synonyms: Look BackSynonyms: look backward (v), retrospect (v), review (v). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Memory | Recognize, recollect, bethink oneself, recall, call up, retrace; look back, trace back, trace backwards; think back, look back upon; review; call upon, recall upon, bring to mind, bring to remembrance; carry one's thoughts back; rake up the past. |
The Past | Look back, trace back, cast the eyes back; exhume. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Look Back |
| English words defined with "look back": retrospect, review. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "look back": Ja nus. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Because even if I waited until we were old, old people, you'd be bound to look back over the years and be hurt. (Brief Encounter; writing credit: David Lean, written by Noel Coward, Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean, and Ronald Neame.) Dig hard, dig deep, go for shelter, and never look back! (Reign of Fire; writing credit: Damon Packard) No time to look back. (True Stories; writing credit: David Byrne; Beth Henley) You must just look back at that and cringe. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; writing credit: Doreen Spicer) Look back there! (European Vacation; writing credit: John Hughes; Robert Klane) | |
Lyrics | When you don't look back I guess (What It Takes; performing artist: Aerosmith) One long look back (Birmingham; performing artist: Amanda Marshall) Waves crash baby, don't look back (Circle In The Sand; performing artist: Belinda Carlisle) Oh when I look back now (Summer Of '69; performing artist: Bryan Adams) Woa, Don't look back to see. (RUN THROUGH THE JUNGLE; performing artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival) | |
Clever | Our eyes are placed in front because it is more important to look ahead than look back. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Dont Look Back (1967) A Look Back at Crossbow (1965) Look Back in Anger (1958) Never Look Back (1952) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Theater & Movies | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Charles Caleb Colton | To look back to antiquity is one thing, to go back to it is another. |
Sheldon | Each day look back on your work of yesterday -- Then try to beat it. |
Sir Walter Scott | Look back, and smile at perils past. |
Walter Scott | A grandfather is no longer a social institution. -- Men do not live in the past. -- They merely look back. -- Forward is the universal cry. |
William Hazlitt | Fame is the inheritance not of the dead, but of the living. It is we who look back with lofty pride to the great names of antiquity. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | I will not deny, that if we look back as far as history will direct us, towards the original of commonwealths, we shall generally find them under the government and administration of one man. (Second Treatise of Government) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | Stay, yet look back with me unto the Tower. |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | Ma tried to look back, but the body of the load cut off her view. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Political Economy | Kazakhstan | As Kazakhstan celebrates its first ten years of independence, it can look back on a strong bilateral relationship with the U.S. Strong cooperation on non-proliferation along with U.S. investment and economic development contrasts with occasional friction on human rights and investment and trade policies. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Pamela Anderson | I asked my mom before I did anything. I said mom, I'm just going to pose for cover, and she was like, go for it. That would be great to look back on and see that you did that. |
Rudolph Giuliani | From Mr. Ray's point of view, I think it was a very wise and appropriate exercise of prosecutorial discretion. I think, as we look back, historically, I think, all of us now commend President Ford for pardoning President Nixon and putting that behind us. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | But it will not do to look back, and if the present opportunity is slipped, I am persuaded that twelve months more will Increase our difficulties fourfold. |
Martin van Buren | 1837-1841 | We look back on obstacles avoided and dangers overcome, on expectations more than realized and prosperity perfectly secured. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Expression using "look back": look back on. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
look back in anger | 22 |
dont look back | 7 |
dont look back in anger | 6 |
never look back | 3 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "look back"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | rishikoj (go over, reconsider, review, revise), kujtoj të kaluarën, kthej kokën pas. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | نظر وراءه. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | гледам назад (look round). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 回顧歷史 (to look back at history), 回顧 (to look back, to review). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | ohlížet se. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | katsoa taakseen (look behind one). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | regarder derrière soi. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | zurückblicken (look backward), sich umsehen (look about, look around, scout about, scout around, scratch about, scratch around, shop around), rückblick (retrospect, review). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | αναπολώ (conjure up, contemplate, look back on, recapture, recollect, reminisce, retrace). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | visszanéz (to look back), hátranéz (have a look round, to look round). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 顧みる (to look back, to review, to turn around). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | ふりかえる (to change, to look back, to look over one's shoulder, to make up for, to turn around, to turn head), かえりみる (to look back, to reflect, to review, to turn around), むかし'かえりみる (to look back upon the past), みかえる (to forsake one thing for another, to look back), みかえし (inside the cover, look back over the shoulder, triumph over). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | jeeaghyn er ash, jeeagh ny yei er. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | ooklay ackbay se uita în urmã (look behind), se întoarce cu gândul, privi înapoi. (various references) оглядываться. (various references) osvrnuti se (turn). (various references) volverse atrás (back down, back out, backpedal, backtrack, climb down), volver la cabeza (look round), mirar hacia atrás (look backwards in time, look behind one, look round), considerar el pasado, acordar (accede, accord, agree, agree on, agree upon, arrange, consent, resolve, settle, tune, tune up). (various references) se tillbaka, se sig om (cast about, look about, look around). (various references) ilerleyememek (fall by the wayside), geriye bakmak, geçmişe bakmak. (various references) оглядатися. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Date | Source | 1 Samuel Chapter 24, Verse 9 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai anesth dauid opisw autou ek tou sphlaiou kai ebohsen dauid opisw saoul legwn kurie basileu kai epebleyen saoul eiV ta opisw autou kai ekuyen dauid epi proswpon autou epi thn ghn kai prosekunhsen autw |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Surrexit autem et David post eum et egressus de spelunca clamavit post tergum Saul dicens domine mi rex et respexit Saul post se et inclinans se David pronus in terram adoravit |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | Forsothe Dauid roos after hym, and wente out of the denne, and criede after the bak of Saul, seiynge, My lord kyng! And Saul beheelde bihynde hym; and Dauyd bowynge hym self redi into the erthe honourede. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And after that David came out of the hollow rock, and crying after Saul said, My lord the king. And when Saul gave a look back, David went down on his face and gave him honour. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | 1 Samuel Chapter 24, Verse 9 |
| Cebuano | ¶ Ug si David miingon kang Saul: Nganong namati ka sa mga pulong sa mga tawo, nga nagaingon: Ania karon, si David nagapangita sa pagdagmal kanimo? |
| Croatian | Zatim ustade David, iziðe iz peæine i vikne za aulom: "Gospodaru kralju!" A kad se aul obazre, David se baci nièice na zemlju i pokloni mu se. |
| Danish | stod David op bagefter, gik ud af Hulen og råbte efter Saul: "Herre Konge!" Og da Saul så sig tilbage, kastede David sig ned med Ansigtet mod Jorden og bøjede sig for ham. |
| Finnish | Senjälkeen Daavid myös nousi, lähti luolasta ja huusi Saulin jälkeen: "Minun herrani, kuningas!" Kun Saul katsahti taaksensa, kumartui Daavid kasvoilleen maahan ja osoitti kunnioitusta. |
| German | und sprach zu Saul: Warum gehorchst du der Menschen Wort, die da sagen: David sucht dein Unglück? |
| Haitian Creole | ¶ Epi li di: -Poukisa w'ap koute moun k'ap di ou m'ap chache fè malè sou ou? |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Kemudian bangkitlah Daudpun, lalu keluar dari dalam gua itu, maka berserulah ia dari belakang Saul, sembahnya: Ya tuanku, ya rajaku! Maka menolehlah Saul, lalu Daudpun menyembah dengan mukanya ke tanah, sambil ia menunjukkan dirinya. |
| Maori | ¶ Na ka mea a Rawiri ki a Haora, He aha koe i whakarongo ai ki nga kupu a te tangata ina mea, Kei te rapu a Rawiri i te he mou? |
| Norwegian | Derefter stod David op og gikk ut av hulen og ropte efter Saul: Herre konge! Da så Saul sig tilbake, og David bøide sig med ansiktet mot jorden og kastet sig ned. |
| Portuguese | Então disse Davi a Saul: por que dás ouvidos s palavras dos homens que dizem: Davi procura fazer-te mal? |
| Rumanian | David a zis lui Saul: ,,De ce asculyi tu de vorbele oamenilor cari zic: ,David kyi vrea rqul?` |
| Swedish | då stod ock David upp och gick ut ur grottan och ropade efter Saul: "Min herre konung!" När då Saul såg sig tillbaka, böjde David sig ned, med ansiktet mot jorden, och bugade sig. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-b-c-k-k-l-o-o" | |
-3 letters: black, block, cloak. | |
-4 letters: back, balk, bloc, bock, bola, bolo, book, calk, calo, coal, cola, cook, cool, kobo, kola, kolo, kook, lack, lobo, loca, lock, loco, look, obol. | |
-5 letters: abo, alb, bal, boa, boo, cab, cob, col, coo, kab, koa, kob, lab, lac, lob, loo, oak, oca, oka. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-b-c-k-k-l-o-o" | |
+3 letters: chockablock. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Quotations: Familiar 8. Quotations: Historic | 9. Quotations: Fiction 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Quotations: Spoken 12. Quotations: Speeches | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Bible Trace | 17. Anagrams 18. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
