Adjacent Words

Back definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BACK, n.
1. The upper part of an animal, particularly of a quadruped, whose back is a ridge. In human beings, the hinder part of the body.
2. The outward or convex part of the hand, opposed to the inner, concave part, or palm.
3. As the back of man is the part on the side opposite to the face; hence the part opposed to the front; as the back of a book and of a chimney, or the back of a house.
4. The part opposite to or most remote from that which fronts the speaker or actor, or the part out of sight; as the back of an isle, of a wood, of a village.
5. As the back is the strongest part of an animal, and as the back is behind in motion; hence the thick and strong part of a cutting tool; as the back of a knife, or of a saw.
6. The place behind or nearest the back; as, on the back of a hill or of a village.
7. The outer part of the body, or the whole body; a part for the whole; as, he has not clothes to his back.
8. To turn the back on one, is to forsake, or neglect him.
9. To turn the back to one, to acknowledge to be superior.
10. To turn the back, is to depart, or to leave the care or cognizance of; to remove or be absent.
11. Behind the back, is in secret, or when one is absent.
12. To cast behind the back, in scripture, is to forget and forgive, Is.xxxviii, 17; or to treat with contempt. Ez.xxiii.35. Neh.ix.26.
13. To plow the back, is to oppress and persecute. Psalms 129.
14. To bow the back, is to submit to oppression. Rom.xi.10.
BACK, adv. To the place from which one came; as, to go back is to return.
2. In a figurative sense, to a former state, condition or station; as, he cannot go back from his engagements.
3. Behind; not advancing; not coming or bringing forward; as, to keep back a part; to keep one's selfback.
4. Towards times or things past; as, to look back on former ages.
5. Again; in return; as, give back the money.
6. To go or come back, is to return, either to a former place, or state.
7. To go or give back, is to retreat to recede.
BACK, v.t. To mount; to get upon the back; sometimes perhaps to place upon the back; as, to back a horse.
2. To support; to maintain; to second or strengthen by aid; as, the Court was backed by the House of Commons.
3. To put backward; to cause to retreat or recede; as, to back oxen.
4. To back a warrant, is for a justice of the peace in the county where the warrant is to be executed, to sign or indorse a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender.
5. In seamanship, to back an anchor is to lay down a small anchor ahead of a large one, the cable of the small one being fastened to the crown of the large one, to prevent its coming home.
6. To back astern, in rowing, is to manage the oars in a direction contrary to the usual method, to move a boat stern foremost.
7. To back the sails,is to arrange them so as to cause the ship to move astern.
BACK, v.i. To move or go back; as, the horse refuses to back.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: related to or located at the back; "the back yard"; "the back entrance" [ant: front]
2: located at or near the back of an animal; "back (or hind) legs"; "the hinder part of a carcass" [syn: back, hind, hinder]
3: of an earlier date; "back issues of the magazine" n
1: the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine; "his back was nicely tanned" [syn: back, dorsum]
2: the side that goes last or is not normally seen; "he wrote the date on the back of the photograph" [syn: rear, back] [ant: front]
3: the part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer; "he stood at the back of the stage"; "it was hidden in the rear of the store" [syn: back, rear] [ant: front]
4: (football) a person who plays in the backfield
5: the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; "the fall broke his back" [syn: spinal column, vertebral column, spine, backbone, back, rachis]
6: the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book; "the book had a leather binding" [syn: binding, book binding, cover, back]
7: the part of a garment that covers the back of your body; "they pinned a `kick me' sign on his back"
8: a support that you can lean against while sitting; "the back of the dental chair was adjustable" [syn: back, backrest]
9: (American football) the position of a player on a football team who is stationed behind the line of scrimmage v
1: be behind; approve of; "He plumped for the Labor Party"; "I backed Kennedy in 1960" [syn: back, endorse, indorse, plump for, plunk for, support]
2: travel backward; "back into the driveway"; "The car backed up and hit the tree"
3: give support or one's approval to; "I'll second that motion"; "I can't back this plan"; "endorse a new project" [syn: second, back, endorse, indorse]
4: cause to travel backward; "back the car into the parking spot" [ant: advance, bring forward]
5: support financial backing for; "back this enterprise"
6: be in back of; "My garage backs their yard" [ant: face, front, look]
7: place a bet on; "Which horse are you backing?"; "I'm betting on the new horse" [syn: bet on, back, gage, stake, game, punt]
8: shift to a counterclockwise direction; "the wind backed" [ant: veer]
9: establish as valid or genuine; "Can you back up your claims?" [syn: back, back up]
10: strengthen by providing with a back or backing adv
1: in or to or toward a former location; "she went back to her parents' house"
2: at or to or toward the back or rear; "he moved back"; "tripped when he stepped backward"; "she looked rearward out the window of the car" [syn: back, backward, backwards, rearward, rearwards] [ant: forrad, forrard, forward, forwards, frontward, frontwards]
3: in or to or toward an original condition; "he went back to sleep"
4: in or to or toward a past time; "set the clocks back an hour"; "never look back"; "lovers of the past looking fondly backward" [syn: back, backward] [ant: ahead, forward]
5: in reply; "he wrote back three days later"
6: in repayment or retaliation; "we paid back everything we had borrowed"; "he hit me and I hit him back"; "I was kept in after school for talking back to the teacher"

Merriam Webster's

geographical name river 605 miles (974 kilometers) Canada in Nunavut rising along border with Northwest Territories & flowing ENE into Arctic Ocean

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English bæc; akin to Old High German bah back, Old Norse bak Date: before 12th century 1. a. (1) the rear part of the human body especially from the neck to the end of the spine (2) the body considered as the wearer of clothes (3) capacity for labor, effort, or endurance (4) the back considered as the seat of one's awareness of duty or failings <get off my back> (5) the back considered as an area of vulnerability <the police officer's partner always watches his back> b. the part of a lower animal (as a quadruped) corresponding to the human back c. spinal column d. spine 1c 2. a. the side or surface opposite the front or face ; the rear part; also the farther or reverse side b. something at or on the back for support <back of a chair> c. a place away from the front <sat in back> 3. a position in some games (as football or soccer) behind the front line of players; also a player in this position • backed adjective • backless adjective II. adverb Date: 14th century 1. a. to, toward, or at the rear b. in or into the past ; backward in time; also ago c. to or at an angle off the vertical d. (1) under restraint (2) in a delayed or retarded condition 2. a. to, toward, or in a place from which a person or thing came b. to or toward a former state c. in return or reply III. adjective Date: 15th century 1. a. being at or in the back <back door> b. distant from a central or main area <back roads> c. articulated at or toward the back of the oral passage <back vowels> 2. having returned or been returned 3. being in arrears ; overdue 4. moving or operating backward ; reverse 5. not current <back issues of a magazine> 6. constituting the final 9 holes of an 18-hole golf course IV. verb Date: 1548 transitive verb 1. a. to support by material or moral assistance — often used with up b. substantiate c. to assume financial responsibility for d. to provide musical accompaniment for — often used with up 2. a. to cause to go back or in reverse b. to articulate (a sound) with the tongue farther back 3. a. to furnish with a back b. to be at the back of intransitive verb 1. to move backward — often used with up 2. of the wind to shift counterclockwise — compare veer 3. to have the back in the direction of something Synonyms: see support, recede • backer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n., adv., v., & adj. --n. 1 a the rear surface of the human body from the shoulders to the hips. b the corresponding upper surface of an animal's body. c the spine (fell and broke his back). d the keel of a ship. 2 a any surface regarded as corresponding to the human back, e.g. of the head or hand, or of a chair. b the part of a garment that covers the back. 3 a the less active or visible or important part of something functional, e.g. of a knife or a piece of paper (write it on the back). b the side or part normally away from the spectator or the direction of motion or attention, e.g. of a car, house, or room (stood at the back). 4 a a defensive player in field games. b this position. 5 (the Backs) the grounds of Cambridge colleges which back on to the River Cam. --adv. 1 to the rear; away from what is considered to be the front (go back a bit; ran off without looking back). 2 a in or into an earlier or normal position or condition (came back late; went back home; ran back to the car; put it back on the shelf). b in return (pay back). 3 in or into the past (back in June; three years back). 4 at a distance (stand back from the road). 5 in check (hold him back). 6 (foll. by of) US behind (was back of the house). --v. 1 tr. a help with moral or financial support. b bet on the success of (a horse etc.). 2 tr. & intr. move, or cause (a vehicle etc.) to move, backwards. 3 tr. a put or serve as a back, background, or support to. b Mus. accompany. 4 tr. lie at the back of (a beach backed by steep cliffs). 5 intr. (of the wind) move round in an anticlockwise direction. --adj. 1 situated behind, esp. as remote or subsidiary (backstreet; back teeth). 2 of or relating to the past; not current (back pay; back issue). 3 reversed (back flow). Phrases and idioms: at a person's back in pursuit or support. at the back of one's mind remembered but not consciously thought of. back and forth to and fro. back bench a back-bencher's seat in the House of Commons. back-bencher a member of Parliament not holding a senior office. back-boiler Brit. a boiler behind and integral with a domestic fire. back-breaking (esp. of manual work) extremely hard. back country esp. Austral. & NZ an area away from settled districts. back-crawl = BACKSTROKE. back-cross Biol. 1 cross a hybrid with one of its parents. 2 an instance or the product of this. back door a secret or ingenious means of gaining an objective. back-door adj. (of an activity) clandestine, underhand (back-door deal). back down withdraw one's claim or point of view etc.; concede defeat in an argument etc. back-down n. an instance of backing down. back-fill refill an excavated hole with the material dug out of it. back-formation 1 the formation of a word from its seeming derivative (e.g. laze from lazy). 2 a word formed in this way. back number 1 an issue of a periodical earlier than the current one. 2 sl. an out-of-date person or thing. the back of beyond a very remote or inaccessible place. back off 1 draw back, retreat. 2 abandon one's intention, stand, etc. back on to have its back adjacent to (the house backs on to a field). back out (often foll. by of) withdraw from a commitment. back passage colloq. the rectum. back-pedal (-pedalled, -pedalling; US -pedaled, -pedaling) 1 pedal backwards on a bicycle etc. 2 reverse one's previous action or opinion. back-projection the projection of a picture from behind a translucent screen for viewing or filming. back room (often (with hyphen) attrib.) a place where secret work is done. back-scattering the scattering of radiation in a reverse direction. back seat an inferior position or status. back-seat driver a person who is eager to advise without responsibility (orig. of a passenger in a car etc.). back slang slang using words spelt backwards (e.g. yob). back-stop = LONGSTOP. back talk US = BACKCHAT. back to back with backs adjacent and opposite each other (we stood back to back). back-to-back adj. esp. Brit. (of houses) with a party wall at the rear. back to front 1 with the back at the front and the front at the back. 2 in disorder. back-to-nature (usu. attrib.) applied to a movement or enthusiast for the reversion to a simpler way of life. back up 1 give (esp. moral) support to. 2 Computing make a spare copy of (data, a disk, etc.). 3 (of running water) accumulate behind an obstruction. 4 reverse (a vehicle) into a desired position. 5 US form a queue of vehicles etc., esp. in congested traffic. back water reverse a boat's forward motion using oars. get (or put) a person's back up annoy or anger a person. get off a person's back stop troubling a person. go back on fail to honour (a promise or commitment). know like the back of one's hand be entirely familiar with. on one's back injured or ill in bed. on the back burner see BURNER. put one's back into approach (a task etc.) with vigour. see the back of see SEE(1). turn one's back on 1 abandon. 2 ignore. with one's back to (or up against) the wall in a desperate situation; hard-pressed. Derivatives: backer n. (in sense 1 of v.). backless adj. Etymology: OE bæc f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Back Back, n. [F. bac: cf. Arm. bak tray, bowl.] 1. A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc. Hop back, Jack back, the cistern which receives the infusion of malt and hops from the copper. Wash back, a vat in which distillers ferment the wort to form wash. Water back, a cistern to hold a supply of water; esp. a small cistern at the back of a stove, or a group of pipes set in the fire box of a stove or furnace, through which water circulates and is heated. 2. A ferryboat. See Bac, 1.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Back Back, n. [As b[ae]c, bac; akin to Icel., Sw., & LG. bak, Dan. bag; cf. OHG. bahho ham, Skr. bhaj to turn, OSlav. b?g? flight. Cf. Bacon.] 1. In human beings, the hinder part of the body, extending from the neck to the end of the spine; in other animals, that part of the body which corresponds most nearly to such part of a human being; as, the back of a horse, fish, or lobster. 2. An extended upper part, as of a mountain or ridge. [The mountains] their broad bare backs upheave Into the clouds. --Milton. 3. The outward or upper part of a thing, as opposed to the inner or lower part; as, the back of the hand, the back of the foot, the back of a hand rail. Methought Love pitying me, when he saw this, Gave me your hands, the backs and palms to kiss. --Donne. 4. The part opposed to the front; the hinder or rear part of a thing; as, the back of a book; the back of an army; the back of a chimney. 5. The part opposite to, or most remote from, that which fronts the speaker or actor; or the part out of sight, or not generally seen; as, the back of an island, of a hill, or of a village. 6. The part of a cutting tool on the opposite side from its edge; as, the back of a knife, or of a saw. 7. A support or resource in reserve. This project Should have a back or second, that might hold, If this should blast in proof. --Shak. 8. (Naut.) The keel and keelson of a ship. 9. (Mining) The upper part of a lode, or the roof of a horizontal underground passage. 10. A garment for the back; hence, clothing. A bak to walken inne by daylight. --Chaucer. Behind one's back, when one is absent; without one's knowledge; as, to ridicule a person behind his back. Full back, Half back, Quarter back (Football), players stationed behind those in the front line. To be or lie on one's back, to be helpless. To put, or get, one's back up, to assume an attitude of obstinate resistance (from the action of a cat when attacked.). [Colloq.] To see the back of, to get rid of. To turn the back, to go away; to flee. To turn the back on one, to forsake or neglect him.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Back Back, a. 1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements. 2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent. 3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action. Back charges, charges brought forward after an account has been made up. Back filling (Arch.), the mass of materials used in filling up the space between two walls, or between the inner and outer faces of a wall, or upon the haunches of an arch or vault. Back pressure. (Steam Engine) See under Pressure. Back rest, a guide attached to the slide rest of a lathe, and placed in contact with the work, to steady it in turning. Back slang, a kind of slang in which every word is written or pronounced backwards; as, nam for man. Back stairs, stairs in the back part of a house; private stairs. Also used adjectively. See Back stairs, Backstairs, and Backstair, in the Vocabulary. Back step (Mil.), the retrograde movement of a man or body of men, without changing front. Back stream, a current running against the main current of a stream; an eddy. To take the back track, to retrace one's steps; to retreat. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Back Back, adv. [Shortened from aback.] 1. In, to, or toward, the rear; as, to stand back; to step back. 2. To the place from which one came; to the place or person from which something is taken or derived; as, to go back for something left behind; to go back to one's native place; to put a book back after reading it. 3. To a former state, condition, or station; as, to go back to private life; to go back to barbarism. 4. (Of time) In times past; ago. ``Sixty or seventy years back.'' --Gladstone. 5. Away from contact; by reverse movement. The angel of the Lord . . . came, and rolled back the stone from the door. --Matt. xxvii. 2. 6. In concealment or reserve; in one's own possession; as, to keep back the truth; to keep back part of the money due to another. 7. In a state of restraint or hindrance. The Lord hath kept thee back from honor. --Numb. xxiv. 11. 8. In return, repayment, or requital. What have I to give you back! --Shak. 9. In withdrawal from a statement, promise, or undertaking; as, he took back0 the offensive words. 10. In arrear; as, to be back in one's rent. [Colloq.] Back and forth, backwards and forwards; to and fro. To go back on, to turn back from; to abandon; to betray; as, to go back on a friend; to go back on one's professions. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Back Back, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Backed; p. pr. & vb. n. Backing.] 1. To get upon the back of; to mount. I will back him [a horse] straight. --Shak. 2. To place or seat upon the back. [R.] Great Jupiter, upon his eagle backed, Appeared to me. --Shak. 3. To drive or force backward; to cause to retreat or recede; as, to back oxen. 4. To make a back for; to furnish with a back; as, to back books. 5. To adjoin behind; to be at the back of. A garden . . . with a vineyard backed. --Shak. The chalk cliffs which back the beach. --Huxley. 6. To write upon the back of; as, to back a letter; to indorse; as, to back a note or legal document. 7. To support; to maintain; to second or strengthen by aid or influence; as, to back a friend. ``Parliament would be backed by the people.'' --Macaulay. Have still found it necessary to back and fortify their laws with rewards and punishments. --South. The mate backed the captain manfully. --Blackw. Mag. 8. To bet on the success of; -- as, to back a race horse. To back an anchor (Naut.), to lay down a small anchor ahead of a large one, the cable of the small one being fastened to the crown of the large one. To back the field, in horse racing, to bet against a particular horse or horses, that some one of all the other horses, collectively designated ``the field'', will win. To back the oars, to row backward with the oars. To back a rope, to put on a preventer. To back the sails, to arrange them so as to cause the ship to move astern. To back up, to support; to sustain; as, to back up one's friends. To back a warrant (Law), is for a justice of the peace, in the county where the warrant is to be executed, to sign or indorse a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender. To back water (Naut.), to reverse the action of the oars, paddles, or propeller, so as to force the boat or ship backward.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Back Back, v. i. 1. To move or go backward; as, the horse refuses to back. 2. (Naut.) To change from one quarter to another by a course opposite to that of the sun; -- used of the wind. 3. (Sporting) To stand still behind another dog which has pointed; -- said of a dog. [Eng.] To back and fill, to manage the sails of a ship so that the wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide carries the vessel against the wind. Hence: (Fig.) To take opposite positions alternately; to assert and deny. [Colloq.] To back out, To back down, to retreat or withdraw from a promise, engagement, or contest; to recede. [Colloq.] Cleon at first . . . was willing to go; but, finding that he [Nicias] was in earnest, he tried to back out. --Jowett (Thucyd. )

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

I. ADVERB USES Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: In addition to the uses shown below, 'back' is also used in phrasal verbs such as 'date back' and 'fall back on'. Please look at category 17 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword. 1. If you move back, you move in the opposite direction to the one in which you are facing or in which you were moving before. The photographers drew back to let us view the body... She stepped back from the door expectantly... He pushed her away and she fell back on the wooden bench... ADV: ADV after v, oft ADV prep 2. If you go back somewhere, you return to where you were before. I went back to bed... I'm due back in London by late afternoon... Smith changed his mind and moved back home... I'll be back as soon as I can... He made a round-trip to the terminal and back. ADV: ADV after v, be ADV, oft ADV prep/adv 3. If someone or something is back in a particular state, they were in that state before and are now in it again. The rail company said it expected services to get slowly back to normal... Denise hopes to be back at work by the time her daughter is one... ADV: ADV after v, be ADV, oft ADV prep 4. If you give or put something back, you return it to the person who had it or to the place where it was before you took it. If you get or take something back, you then have it again after not having it for a while. She handed the knife back... Put it back in the freezer... You'll get your money back. ADV: ADV after v, oft ADV prep 5. If you put a clock or watch back, you change the time shown on it so that it shows an earlier time, for example when the time changes to winter time or standard time. ADV: ADV after v 6. If you write or call back, you write to or telephone someone after they have written to or telephoned you. If you look back at someone, you look at them after they have started looking at you. They wrote back to me and they told me that I didn't have to do it... If the phone rings say you'll call back after dinner... Lee looked at Theodora. She stared back. ADV: ADV after v, oft ADV prep 7. You can say that you go or come back to a particular point in a conversation to show that you are mentioning or discussing it again. Can I come back to the question of policing once again?... Going back to the school, how many staff are there? ADV: ADV after v, ADV to n 8. If something is or comes back, it is fashionable again after it has been unfashionable for some time. Short skirts are back... Consensus politics could easily come back into fashion. ADV: ADV after v, be ADV, oft ADV prep 9. If someone or something is kept or situated back from a place, they are at a distance away from it. Keep back from the edge of the platform... I'm a few miles back from the border... He started for Dot's bedroom and Myrtle held him back. ADV: ADV after v, be ADV, oft ADV from n 10. If something is held or tied back, it is held or tied so that it does not hang loosely over something. The curtains were held back by tassels. ADV: ADV after v 11. If you lie or sit back, you move your body backwards into a relaxed sloping or flat position, with your head and body resting on something. She lay back and stared at the ceiling... She leaned back in her chair and smiled. ? forward ADV: ADV after v 12. If you look or shout back at someone or something, you turn to look or shout at them when they are behind you. Nick looked back over his shoulder and then stopped, frowning... He called back to her. ADV: ADV after v, oft ADV prep 13. You use back in expressions like back in London or back at the house when you are giving an account, to show that you are going to start talking about what happened or was happening in the place you mention. Meanwhile, back in London, Palace Pictures was collapsing... Later, back at home, the telephone rang. ADV: ADV with v, ADV prep 14. If you talk about something that happened back in the past or several years back, you are emphasizing that it happened quite a long time ago. The story starts back in 1950, when I was five... He contributed £50m to the project a few years back. ADV: ADV with v, ADV prep, n ADV [emphasis] 15. If you think back to something that happened in the past, you remember it or try to remember it. I thought back to the time in 1975 when my son was desperately ill... ADV: ADV after v, ADV to n 16. If someone moves back and forth, they repeatedly move in one direction and then in the opposite direction. He paced back and forth... PHRASE: PHR after v 17. to cast your mind back: see mind II. OPPOSITE OF FRONT; NOUN AND ADJECTIVE USES (backs) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Please look at category 17 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword. 1. A person's or animal's back is the part of their body between their head and their legs that is on the opposite side to their chest and stomach. She turned her back to the audience... Three of the victims were shot in the back... N-COUNT: oft poss N 2. The back of something is the side or part of it that is towards the rear or farthest from the front. The back of something is normally not used or seen as much as the front. ...a room at the back of the shop... She raised her hands to the back of her neck... Smooth the mixture with the back of a soup spoon... ? front N-COUNT: usu sing, oft the N of n 3. Back is used to refer to the side or part of something that is towards the rear or farthest from the front. He opened the back door... Ann could remember sitting in the back seat of their car. ...the path leading to the back garden. ? front ADJ: ADJ n 4. The back of a chair or sofa is the part that you lean against when you sit on it. There was a neatly folded pink sweater on the back of the chair. N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp 5. The back of something such as a piece of paper or an envelope is the side which is less important. Send your answers on the back of a postcard. ? front N-COUNT: the N, usu sing 6. The back of a book is the part nearest the end, where you can find the index or the notes, for example. ...the index at the back of the book... ? front N-COUNT: the N, usu sing 7. You can use back in expressions such as round the back and out the back to refer generally to the area behind a house or other building. (BRIT SPOKEN) He had chickens and things round the back... N-SING: prep the N 8. You use back in expressions such as out back to refer to the area behind a house or other building. You also use in back to refer to the rear part of something, especially a car or building. (AM) Dan informed her that he would be out back on the patio cleaning his shoes... Catlett got behind the wheel and I sat in back... N-UNCOUNT: prep N, oft N of n 9. In team games such as football and hockey, a back is a player who is concerned mainly with preventing the other team from scoring goals, rather than scoring goals for their own team. = defender ? forward N-COUNT 10. In American football, a back is a player who stands behind the front line, runs with the ball and attacks rather than defends. N-COUNT 11. If you say that something was done behind someone's back, you disapprove of it because it was done without them knowing about it, in an unfair or dishonest way. You eat her food, enjoy her hospitality and then criticize her behind her back. PHRASE: PHR after v [disapproval] 12. If you break the back of a task or problem, you do the most difficult part of what is necessary to complete the task or solve the problem. It seems at least that we've broken the back of inflation in this country... PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 13. If you are wearing something back to front, you are wearing it with the back of it at the front of your body. If you do something back to front, you do it the wrong way around, starting with the part that should come last. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use backward) He wears his baseball cap back to front... The picture was printed back to front. = backwards PHRASE: PHR after v 14. If you say that one thing happens on the back of another thing, you mean that it happens after that other thing and in addition to it. The cuts, if approved, come on the back of a difficult eight years that have seen three London fire stations closed. PHRASE 15. If someone is on the back foot, or if something puts them on the back foot, they feel threatened and act defensively. From now on Labour will be on the back foot on the subject of welfare. ...another scheme designed purely to put the Scots Nationalists on the back foot. PHRASE 16. If someone or something puts your back up or gets your back up, they annoy you. (INFORMAL) Some food labelling practices really get my back up. = irritate PHRASE: V inflects 17. to take a back seat: see seat III. VERB USES (backs, backing, backed) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If a building backs onto something, the back of it faces in the direction of that thing or touches the edge of that thing. We live in a ground floor flat which backs onto a busy street... His garden backs onto a school. VERB: V onto n, V onto n 2. When you back a car or other vehicle somewhere or when it backs somewhere, it moves backwards. He backed his car out of the drive... I heard the engines revving as the lorries backed and turned. = reverse VERB: V n prep/adv, V, also V n 3. If you back a person or a course of action, you support them, for example by voting for them or giving them money. There is a new witness to back his claim that he is a victim of mistaken identity. = support VERB: V n • -backed ...government-backed loans to Egypt. COMB in ADJ 4. If you back a particular person, team, or horse in a competition, you predict that they will win, and usually you bet money that they will win. Roland Nilsson last night backed Sheffield Wednesday to win the UEFA Cup... It is upsetting to discover that you have backed a loser. VERB: V n to-inf, V n 5. If a singer is backed by a band or by other singers, they provide the musical background for the singer. She was backed by acoustic guitar, bass and congas. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed by n 6. see also backing

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Upper part, outer part. 2. Hinder part, posterior portion, rear, end. II. a. 1. Remote, on the frontier, away from the thicker settlements. 2. Hindmost, in the rear. 3. In a backward direction. [Used as a prefix, with hyphen.] III. ad. 1. To the place of starting. 2. Backward, rearward, abaft, in the rear, toward what is behind. 3. Again, in return, in recompense. IV. v. a. 1. Aid, second, support, countenance, favor, sustain, abet, side with, stand by, take part with, give support to, co-operate with, back up. See assist. 2. Move backward, push backward, cause to go backward. V. v. n. Move or go backward, retire, retreat, resile, withdraw, draw back.

Moby Thesaurus

a priori, a rebours, a reculons, abandon, abet, accented, acknowledgments, advance, advocate, affirm, afford support, aft, after, aftermost, afterpart, afterpiece, again, against the grain, ago, aid, alpenstock, alveolar, alveolar ridge, alveolus, angel, ante, ante up, anticlockwise, apex, apical, apico-alveolar, apico-dental, arear, arena, arm, around, arrested, articulated, arytenoid cartilages, ascend, ascender, ascending, aside, ass-backwards, assimilated, assist, assure, astern, athletic supporter, attest, authenticate, away, axial, back away, back door, back matter, back of beyond, back off, back seat, back side, back up, back when, back-country, back-flowing, backbone, backdrop, background, backing, backpedal, backside, backstop, backtrack, backtrail, backward, backwards, backwater, backwood, backwoods, backwoodsy, bandeau, bankroll, bankrupt, barytone, bastard title, bastard type, be sponsor for, bear, bear out, bear up, beard, bearer, behind, behindhand, belated, belly, bestraddle, bestride, bet, bet on, bevel, bibliography, bilabial, black letter, blade, blocked, board, body, bolster, bolster up, bond, boost, bra, brace, bracer, bracket, brassiere, break, breech, broad, budge, buoy up, buttress, by, cacuminal, call, cane, cap, capital, capitalize, carrier, carry, case, cast off, catch line, catchword, central, cerebral, certify, cervix, champion, change, change place, chasing, checked, circle, circumstantiate, climb, climb on, close, colophon, come after, come last, commend, confirm, consonant, consonantal, contents, contents page, continuant, copyright page, corroborate, corset, counter, counterclockwise, countermarch, countersecure, cover, cradle, crook, crush, crutch, cry up, cushion, deceitfully, dedication, defeat, delayed, delayed-action, dental, deny, descend, descender, descending, destroy, detained, disavow, disown, disregard, dissimilated, distance, distant, document, dorsal, dorsal region, dorsum, down-trending, downward, drifting, due, early, ebb, elect, em, en, encourage, endleaf, endorse, endpaper, endsheet, ensure, errata, ex post facto, extremity, face, fade, fail, fall astern, fall back, fall behind, fat-faced type, feet, field, finance, flat, flow, flowing, fluent, flying, flyleaf, folio, follow, following, font, for a consideration, fore edge, foreword, forsake, fortify, foundation garment, fro, front, front matter, frontier, fulcrum, fund, furtively, gamble, get behind, get in, get in behind, get on, get over, girdle, give support, glide, glossal, glottal, go, go aboard, go around, go astern, go back, go back on, go backwards, go into reverse, go on board, go round, go sideways, going, gone by, groove, ground, grubstake, guarantee, guaranty, guttural, guy, guywire, gyrate, gyrational, gyratory, half-title page, hard, hard palate, hard pressed, hazard, head, heavy, heel, held up, help, helpless, high, hind, hind end, hind part, hinder, hindermost, hindhand, hindhead, hindmost, hindward, hindwards, hinterland, hold, hold up, hop in, hung up, hype, ignore, imprint, in a bind, in abeyance, in arrear, in arrears, in back of, in compensation, in consideration, in reserve, in return, in reverse, in times past, index, inscription, insidiously, insure, into the past, intonated, introduction, invest in, isolated, italic, jammed, jock, jockstrap, jump in, keep afloat, keep up, labial, labiodental, labiovelar, lag behind, larynx, late, lateral, latish, lax, lay, lay a wager, lay down, leaf, lend support, letter, ligature, light, lingual, lips, liquid, locale, logotype, loin, low, lower case, mainstay, maintain, maintainer, majuscule, make a bet, make sternway, makeup, mast, master, mature, meet a bet, mid, minuscule, mise-en-scene, monophthongal, moratory, mount, mounting, move, move over, muted, narrow, nasal, nasal cavity, nasalized, neck, never on time, nick, nominate, obstructed, occiput, occlusive, open, oral cavity, outback, outlandish, outlying, outstanding, overcome, overdue, owed, owing, oxytone, page, palatal, palatalized, palate, parlay, pass, passing, past due, patronize, pay for, payable, pharyngeal, pharyngeal cavity, pharyngealized, pharynx, phonemic, phonetic, phonic, pi, pica, pile in, pillow, pitch, pitched, play against, plug, plunge, plunging, point, posterior, postern, posttonic, preface, preliminaries, primitive, print, privately, probate, progress, progressive, promote, prop, prove, provide for, puff, punt, pursuing, rachis, ratify, raw, rear, rear end, rearmost, rearward, rearwards, receivable, recommend, recto, redeemable, refinance, reflex, reflowing, refluent, regress, regressive, reinforce, reinforcement, reinforcer, reject, reminiscently, remote, renege, repudiate, rest, resting place, retarded, retract, retrad, retral, retreat, retroactive, retroactively, retrocede, retroflex, retrograde, retrogress, retrogressive, retrospective, retrospectively, reverse, reversed, reverso, revert, ridge, rigging, rigidify, rise, rising, roman, rotary, rotate, rotational, rotatory, rough, round, round about, rounded, ruin, run, run interference for, running, running title, rushing, sans serif, scene, screw up, script, second, secretly, secure, see, semivowel, service, set up, setting, shank, shift, shore, shore up, shoulder, shroud, side with, sideward, sign, sign for, signature, since, sink, sinking, slow, slyly, small cap, small capital, sneakily, soar, soaring, soft, soft palate, sonant, speak highly of, speak warmly of, speak well of, speech organ, spin, spinal column, spine, sponsor, sprit, staff, stage, stage set, stage setting, stake, stamp, stand back of, stand behind, stand by, stand pat, stand up for, standing rigging, stave, stay, stem, stern, stick, stick by, stick up for, stiffen, stiffener, stir, stopped, stream, streaming, strengthen, strengthener, stressed, strong, subscribe to, subside, subsidize, substantiate, subtitle, subvene, subvention, support, supporter, surd, surreptitiously, sustain, sustainer, syllabic, sylvan, syrinx, table of contents, tail, tail end, tailpiece, take sides with, tardy, teeth, teeth ridge, tense, text, theater, thick, throaty, tighten, tip, title, title page, to the rear, tonal, tongue, tonic, tout, trail, trail behind, travel, treacherously, trice up, trim size, turned around, twangy, type, type body, type class, type lice, type page, typecase, typeface, typefounders, typefoundry, unaccented, uncivilized, uncultivated, underbrace, undergird, underlie, underpin, underset, undersign, underwrite, undeveloped, uninhabited, unoccupied, unpaid, unpopulated, unpunctual, unready, unrounded, unsettled, unstressed, untimely, up-country, up-trending, upbear, uphold, upholder, upkeep, upper case, upward, validate, vanquish, velar, velum, verify, verso, vertebrae, vertebral column, virgin, vocal chink, vocal cords, vocal folds, vocal processes, vocalic, vocoid, voice box, voiced, voiceless, vote, vowel, vowellike, wager, walking stick, wane, warrant, waste, weak, whirl, widdershins, wide, wild, wilderness, withdraw from, without hope, woodland, wrong-way, wrong-way around