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back¹ Definition

back (bak)

noun

  1. the part of the body opposite to the front; in humans and many other animals, the part to the rear or top reaching from the nape of the neck to the end of the spine
  2. the backbone or spine
  3. the part of a chair that supports one's back
  4. the part of a garment or harness that fits on the back of a person or animal
  5. physical strength put some back into the work
  6. the rear or hinder part of anything; part behind or opposite the front the back of the room, the back of his leg
  7. the part or side of anything that is less often used, seen, etc. the back of the hand; the back of a carpet, textile, etc.; the back of a knife
    1. the part of a book where the sections are sewed or glued together; part covered by the spine
    2. the spine of a book
  9. Mining the roof or overhead part of an underground passage
  10. Sports a player positioned behind many of his or her teammates, as a running back in football or a halfback in soccer

Etymology: ME bak < OE baec; akin to ON bak, OHG bahho

adjective

  1. at the rear or back; behind
  2. distant or remote back country
  3. of or for a time in the past a back copy of a newspaper, back pay
  4. in a backward direction; returning; reversed a back step
  5. Phonet. articulated with the tongue toward the back of the mouth: said of certain vowels, as (o̵̅o̅) in cool

adverb

  1. at, to, or toward the rear; backward
  2. to or toward a former position or location
  3. into or toward a previous condition
  4. to or toward an earlier time
  5. so as to keep in reserve or concealment to hold back information
  6. in return or requital to pay someone back

Etymology: ME bac < abac < OE on bæc, backward

transitive verb

  1. to cause to move backward, or to the rear: often with up
  2. to be at the back of; stand behind
  3. to support or help, as with money, endorsement, etc.
  4. to make a wager in support of; bet on
  5. to get on the back of; mount
  6. to provide with a back or backing
  7. to form the back of
  8. to sign on the back; endorse
  9. to provide security for (a currency, loan, etc.)

intransitive verb

    1. to move or go backward to back into a room
    2. to move (into a desired position) through the faulty performance of an opponent to back into a championship
  2. to have the back in a certain place or direction the house backs on a lake
  3. Meteorol. to shift counterclockwise (in the Northern Hemisphere): said of the changing direction of a wind

back¹ Idioms

back and fill

  1. to handle sails so that they alternately spill wind and fill with wind, as in maneuvering in a narrow channel
  2. to zigzag
  3. ☆ to vacillate, as in a decision

back and forth

  1. to and fro
  2. from side to side

back down

☆

to withdraw from a position or a claim

back off

  1. to move back a short distance
  2. Informal back down
  3. Informal to refrain or cease from pursuing or annoying; lay off

back out

  1. to withdraw from an enterprise
  2. to refuse to keep a promise

back out of

  1. to withdraw from (an enterprise)
  2. to refuse to keep (a promise)

back up

  1. to support or help
  2. to move or go backward
  3. to accumulate as the result of a stoppage traffic backed up for a mile
  4. Baseball to take a position behind (a teammate) in case there should be a mishandled or erratically thrown ball
  5. Comput. to make a standby or alternate copy of (data, a file, etc.)

back water

  1. to use oars, a propeller, etc. to move backward or prevent drifting
  2. ☆ to withdraw from a position or a claim

behind someone's back

without someone's knowledge or consent

be (flat) on one's back

to be ill, bedridden, or helpless

get off someone's back

☆

Slang to stop nagging or harassing someone

get one's back up

Informal to become angry

go back on

☆ Informal
  1. to be faithless or disloyal to; betray
  2. to fail to keep (a promise, one's word, etc.)

(in) back of

☆

at or to the rear of; behind

put someone's back up

Informal to make someone angry

turn one's back on

  1. to show anger, contempt, etc. toward by turning away from
  2. to ignore the plight of; desert; fail

with one's back to the wall

in a desperate position, as a cornered fighter

back² Definition

back (bak)

noun

a vat or tub used in certain industrial processes

Etymology: Du bak < LL bacca, water bowl

Back Definition

Back (bak)

river in N Canada, flowing northeast into the Arctic Ocean: c. 600 mi (966 km)

Etymology: after George Back (1796-1878), Arctic navigator

back Synonyms

back

modif.

rear, hinder, after, in back of, in the wake of, backward, hindmost, behind, abaft, astern, hind, rearward, aback, aft, to or in the rear, dorsal, caudal, following, at the heels of, posterior, terminal, in the wake, in the background, final.

Antonyms front*, forward*, head.

back Synonyms

back

n.

  1. The rear part or side

    rear, hinder part, posterior, stern, poop, aft, tailpiece, tail, back end, end, reverse, flip side.

    Antonyms front*, fore part, fore. *

  2. The rear of the torso

    posterior, dorsal aspect, tergum, dorsum, tergal portion, spinal portion, hindquarters, rump, backbone, spine; see also rump.

    Antonyms chest*, stomach*, ventral aspect.

  3. One who plays behind the line, especially in football

    linebacker, fullback, halfback, quarterback, tailback, flanker back, wingback, running back, slot back, blocking back, cornerback, safety man, free safety, ball carrier, kicker, passer, pass receiver.

behind one's back

in secret, without one's knowledge, surreptitiously, underhandedly; see secretly.

(flat) on one's back

ill, bedridden, helpless, laid up; see sick.

get off one's back*<strong>

let alone, stop nagging, leave one in peace; see neglect 1.

get one's back up*

become angry, be stubborn, lose one's temper; see rage 1.

in back of

at the rear, behind, coming after; see backmodif., following.

turn one's back on

reject, desert, fail; see abandon 1.

with one's back to the wall

desperate, cornered, stopped; see sad 1, trapped.

back Synonyms

back

v.

  1. To move or cause to move backward

    back up, reverse, withdraw, drive backward; see retreat 1.

  2. To further

    support, uphold, stand behind, finance; see support 2, 5.

  3. To equip with a back

    stiffen, cane, line; see strengthen. See syn. study at support.

back Usage Examples

Object

  • campaign: Scotsman.com Prince Charles backs offshore windfarm campaign Prince Charles has backed protests over a proposed windfarm.
  • bid: Our aim is to create a growing and lasting image of London as an Olympic city that gets people excited about backing the bid.

Possessives

button: As this page can be accessed from a variety of sections, use the ' back ' button on your browser to continue.

Adjective modifier

full: He was a quality full back in the World Cup right now you'd swap him for almost anyone.

Modifies a noun

  • pain: Women suffer more from back pain and certain injuries.
  • button: Use the back button in your browser to return to this page.
  • seat: Often the students do all the discussion and the professor takes a back seat throughout.
  • door: Lewis has mile after mile of empty golden beaches, two of which are only 100 yards from your own back door.
  • yard: The cooker was strategically placed to hide a huge hole in the wall which lead to the back yard.
  • catalog: Band three is The Alarm 2002 Mike Peters and a back catalog of anthemic tunes.

Noun used with modifier

money: All of our leather cleaning services are covered by an unconditional, 100 % money back guarantee.

Followed by a transitive particle

up: You are, however, responsible for backing up all other files.

Preposition: of

  • net: Doesn't matter how many shots you have if the back of the net doesn't ripple.
  • van: Everything will be loaded onto the back of the van and secured.
  • truck: I asked him if a few new Trinity's could fall off the back of a truck.
  • check: Please write the event number on the back of each check.
  • eye: The light is then focused onto the back of the eye by a lens.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • up: Stream flowing fairly well with no backing up at bottom.
  • down: The council are showing no signs of backing down, however.
  • off: The extra vibration from the hammer action makes chucks much more likely to back off.