Was Taken Aback Meaning?

: to surprise or shock (someone) —usually used as (be) taken aback When I told him my answer, he seemed taken aback.

What is the meaning of was taken aback?

: to surprise or shock (someone) —usually used as (be) taken aback When I told him my answer, he seemed taken aback. —often + by He was taken aback by her answer.

What does it mean to say I was taken back?

Taken back is a corruption of taken aback, a long-standing idiom meaning "taken by surprise." Taken back properly means "to be returned." These days, however, taken back is used in statements like, "I was taken back by his rudeness." The snarky online Urban Dictionary cautions that taken back is a "phrase used by semi- ...