Talk back
2 meanings · select one to explore
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Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To respond rudely or disrespectfully
Example sentence
Don't talk back to your parents.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
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Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
talk back to your parents
talk back to your teacher
talk back to your boss
talk back to an adult
talk back to someone
talk back when you're told what to do
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
He talked back to his mom. ✅ (Correct)
He talked his mom back. ❌ (Incorrect)