back
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1back
noun \ˈbak\Definition of BACK
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 \ˈbakt\ adjective
— back·less \ˈbak-ləs\ adjective
— back of one's hand or back of the hand
: a show of contempt
— back of one's mind
: the remote part of one's mind where thoughts and memories are stored to be drawn on
— behind one's back
: without one's knowledge : in secret
— in back of
: behind
See Examples of BACK
- She was carrying her little daughter on her back.
- She has a pain in the small of her back.
- I slapped him on his back to congratulate him.
- She stabbed him in the back.
- He was handcuffed with his hands behind his back.
- a bird with a spotted back
- riding on the back of a horse
- a comfortable chair with a padded back
Origin of BACK
Middle English, from Old English bæc; akin to Old High German bah back, Old Norse bak
First Known Use: before 12th century
Other Anatomy Terms
2back
adverbDefinition of BACK
1
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
Examples of BACK
- The soldiers moved back from the front lines.
- The police asked the crowd to move back from the scene of the accident.
- He left his friends two miles back.
- She turned around and looked back toward him.
- a chapter beginning several pages back
- He left his home and never went back.
- It's time to go back home.
- She took the book off the shelf and forgot to put it back.
- In the opening chapter the author looks back on his youth.
- an event back in the last century
First Known Use of BACK
14th century
3back
adjectiveDefinition of BACK
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
5
: not current <back issues of a magazine>
6
: constituting the final 9 holes of an 18-hole golf course
Examples of BACK
- He keeps his wallet in his back pocket.
- We came in through the back entrance.
- We drove on the back roads instead of the main roads.
- The company owes him several months in back pay.
First Known Use of BACK
15th century
4back
verbDefinition of BACK
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
— back·er \ˈba-kər\ noun
— back and fill
1
: to manage the sails of a ship so as to keep it clear of obstructions as it floats down with the current of a river or channel
2
: to take opposite positions alternately : shilly-shally
— back into
: to get into inadvertently <backed into the antiques business>
Examples of BACK
- I'm backing him for President.
- She backed the winner of the race and won a lot of money.
- She backed her argument with written evidence.
- She backed the singer on the guitar.
- She backed into a parking space.
- She backed out of the garage.
- The dog kept growling but backed off cautiously.
- back a skirt with stiff material
First Known Use of BACK
1548
Related to BACK
- Synonyms
- advocate, support, champion, endorse (also indorse), patronize, plump (for), plunk (for) or plonk (for)
- Antonyms
- hinder
Back
geographical name \ˈbak\Definition of BACK
river 605 miles (974 kilometers) Canada in Nunavut rising along border with Northwest Territories & flowing ENE into Arctic Ocean
back
noun \ˈbak\ (Medical Dictionary)Medical Definition of BACK
1
a : the rear part of the human body especially from the neck to the end of the spine b : the corresponding part of a lower animal (as a quadruped) c : spinal column
2
: the part of the upper surface of the tongue behind the front and lying opposite the soft palate when the tongue is at rest
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