Main Entry: ⁴back

Function: 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 ofintransitive 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

— 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>