aback. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

aback

SYLLABICATION:	a·back
PRONUNCIATION:	-bk
ADVERB:	1. By surprise: He was taken aback by her caustic remarks. 2. Nautical In such a way that the wind pushes against the forward side of a sail or sails. 3. Archaic Back; backward.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.