aback
/əˈbæk/
adverb
- Surprised or shocked, usually in the phrase 'taken aback'.
- He seemed taken aback when I asked him for a loan.
- The news of the company's closure left everyone taken aback.
- She was taken aback by his sudden angry outburst.
- In a backward direction (nautical: with the wind pressing against the front of the sails).
- When the wind shifted, the main sail was caught aback.
- The captain ordered the sails set aback to slow the ship.
- The crew struggled to bring the ship under control after the sails went aback.