double back

British  

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to go back in the opposite direction (esp in the phrase double back on one's tracks )

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double back Idioms  

1. Reverse one's course, go back the way one has come. For example, The officer lost the suspect, who had doubled back on him. This term, at first put simply as to double, is used largely to describe a way of evading pursuit. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

But now we see her double back to confront Joel about his lies and demand that he answer her questions about Salt Lake City honestly.

From Salon • May 19, 2025

It suggests that the sensible way forward is to double back.

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2024

Top of the Premier League after nine matches following their best start to a season since winning the double back in 1960-61 - and under a manager Spurs supporters have fallen in love with.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2023

It’s a dead-end road, so you’ll have to double back the way you came.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 8, 2023

Finally, we ended up on a two-track path that the bus could never have gotten out of if the path didn’t double back on itself.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt