go back — return
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcore
To return to a place where you were before.
Say it like a native
Textbook I must return to my place of residence now.
Native I've got to go back home now.
'Go back' is the everyday verb for returning. 'Return to my place of residence' is officialese.
Pattern: go back (to [place])
In use
- I have to go back to the office because I forgot my laptop.daily life
- If I could travel anywhere, I would go back to Japan because I really enjoyed my time there.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I want to go back to home.
✓ I want to go back home.
No 'to' before 'home' — 'go back home', but 'go back TO the office'.
Common collocations
go back + to/place— home, to work, to bed, to Spain
Don't confuse it
'Go back' is used when you are not at the place now; 'come back' is used when you are at the place or talking from that place.
Related
- go back (have existed since) — Another meaning of 'go back' is 'have existed since'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.