take aback

take aback
verb
surprise greatly; knock someone's socks off (Freq. 1)
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I was floored when I heard that I was promoted

Syn: ↑shock, ↑floor, ↑ball over, ↑blow out of the water
Derivationally related forms: ↑shock (for: ↑shock)
Hypernyms: ↑surprise
Hyponyms: ↑startle, ↑galvanize, ↑galvanise
Verb Frames:
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Somebody ——s somebody

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Something ——s somebody

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The bad news will take aback him

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The good news will take aback her

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The performance is likely to take aback Sue

* * *

take aback [phrasal verb]
take (someone) aback : to surprise or shock (someone)
— usually used as (be) taken aback

When I told him my answer, he seemed taken aback. [=shocked]

— often + by

He was taken aback by her answer.

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Main Entry:take

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • take aback — If you are taken aback, it means that you re surprised or shocked by something …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • take aback — ► take aback shock or surprise (someone). Main Entry: ↑aback …   English terms dictionary

  • take aback — verb a) To surprise or shock; to discomfit. I was rather taken aback by his angry reply. b) Of a ship: to catch it with the sails aback suddenly. The bad news took us aback …   Wiktionary

  • take aback — Astonish, surprise, take by surprise, startle …   New dictionary of synonyms

  • take aback — See: TAKEN BACK …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • take aback — See: TAKEN BACK …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • take aback — Synonyms and related words: abash, appall, astound, bowl down, bowl over, confound, discomfit, disconcert, dismay, electrify, frighten, jar, jolt, put out, shake, shock, stagger, startle, stun …   Moby Thesaurus

  • take aback — surprise, astound; confuse, bewilder …   English contemporary dictionary

  • take aback — to (be) cause(d) a feeling of surprise or astonishment, often also with disappointment or dismay …   Idioms and examples

  • take aback — idi to surprise; disconcert …   From formal English to slang

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