plural backs
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
They were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
(3)
: capacity for labor, effort, or endurance
Put your back into it!
(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 an animal (such as a four-footed mammal) corresponding to the human back
riding on the back of an elephant
c
: spinal column
She had surgery on her back.
d
: spine sense 1c
The title is on the book's back.
2
a
: the side or surface opposite the front or face
I only saw him from the back.
: the rear part
the back of the head
the back of the mirror
also
: the farther or reverse side
wrote the number on the back of an envelope
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 (such as football or soccer) behind the front line of players
also
: a player in this position
a defensive back
4
informal
: a swimming race in which swimmers use the backstroke
She placed first in the 100-meter back.
1
a
: to, toward, or at the rear
asked the crowd to move back
c
: to or at an angle off the vertical
leaned back on his chair
d(1)
: under restraint
He wanted to fight but his friends held him back.
holding back a laugh
(2)
: in or into a delayed condition
Bad weather set the launch date back several days.
The meeting was pushed back at the last minute.
Season 2's final episodes were held back for a few weeks … before finally airing.—
Nick Valdez
Nick Valdez
e
: in an inferior or secondary position
especially
: behind a competitor in points or ranking
finished three strokes back
2
a
: to, toward, or in a place from which a person or thing came
She left home and never went back.
put the book back
b
: to or toward a former state
went back to private life
c
: in return or reply
forgot to write back
1
a
: being at or in the back
back door
b
: distant from a central or main area
back roads
c
of a speech sound
: articulated at or toward the back of the oral passage : formed deep within the mouth
back vowels
2
: having returned or been returned
5
: not current
back issues of a magazine
6
golf
: constituting the final 9 holes of an 18-hole course
backed; backing; backs
1
a
: to support by material or moral assistance
backing a candidate for governor
—often used with upback up a friend in a fight
b
: substantiate
—often used with up
needs to back up her argument with evidence
c
: to assume financial responsibility for
back a new company
d
: to provide musical accompaniment for
—often used with up
a singer backed up by a guitarist
2
a
: to cause to go back (see back entry 2 sense 1a) or in reverse
back the car into the garage
b
: to articulate (a speech sound) with the tongue farther back : to form deeper within the mouth
3
a
: to furnish with a rear part : to furnish with a back (see back entry 1 sense 2)
back a skirt with stiff material
b
: to be at the rear part of : to be at the back (see back entry 1 sense 2) of
a row of garages back the building
1
: to move backward
backed into a parking space
—often used with upback up to give him some space
Let's back up a little to clarify what we're saying.
2
of the wind
: to shift counterclockwise compare veer entry 1 sense 2
3
: to have the rear part facing in the direction of something
The house backs onto a golf course.
see also:
plural -s
1
: one that supports
2
a
: a slaughterhouse worker who removes the back, shoulders, and base of the tail of a hide from a carcass
b
: a worker who reinforces parts of shoes (such as vamps, uppers, or straps) by pasting in pieces of lining material
c
: a worker who forms the ridges to which covers are hinged at the back of rounded book bodies
3
: material used for backing
specifically
: a piece of canvas, flannel, or other material used to reinforce parts of linings or uppers of shoes
4
: a strap usually of sennit secured to a ship's yard and carrying a thimble through which an earing runs
5
American football, informal
: linebacker
Left outside linebacker Mike Vrabel will most likely have to move inside to replace Seau, with right outside backer Rosevelt Colvin shifting to the left side.—Michael Silver, Sports Illustrated, 4 Dec. 2006
Michael Silver, Sports Illustrated, 4 Dec. 2006Synonyms of back
Examples of back in a Sentence
Noun (1)
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 had his hands behind his back.
a bird with a dark back
riding on the back of a horse
a comfortable chair with a padded back
Adverb
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
Adjective
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.
Verb
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 June 2026
The vehicle has 78 cubic feet of storage space when the rear seats are folded, 44 cubic feet when just the back row is folded, and 15 cubic feet when all seats are in use.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 June 2026
Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Despite the Fever opening up a sizable lead at that point, the Mystics battled back, whittling it down to just two points halfway through the fourth and one point with a minute remaining.
—Ian Miller, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 15 June 2026
The kitchen is dreamy with its huge windows and Siberian elm countertops; same goes for the back patio with its trellis covering a full-size outdoor-dining table that feels straight out of Under the Tuscan Sun.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 14 June 2026
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Bains, backed by Democratic Party leaders and major labor organizations, ran as a more moderate Democrat with a healthcare background who occasionally broke with her party on Assembly votes.
—Mathew Miranda
june 9, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for back
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Dayot Upamecano — France/Bayern Munich Tah’s more mobile partner for Bayern, Upamecano has the perfect skill set for a centre-back in a modern, front-foot possession side.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 June 2026
The vehicle has 78 cubic feet of storage space when the rear seats are folded, 44 cubic feet when just the back row is folded, and 15 cubic feet when all seats are in use.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 June 2026
Adverb
Instead, the court sent the case back to a district judge to address the feasibility of executing Lee by firing squad, per his request.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Despite the Fever opening up a sizable lead at that point, the Mystics battled back, whittling it down to just two points halfway through the fourth and one point with a minute remaining.
—Ian Miller, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
Adjective
Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez left the game with low back tightness in the third inning after 47 pitches.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 15 June 2026
The kitchen is dreamy with its huge windows and Siberian elm countertops; same goes for the back patio with its trellis covering a full-size outdoor-dining table that feels straight out of Under the Tuscan Sun.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 14 June 2026
Verb
Two groups of ultras performed choreographed routines of chants and jumping, backed by drums and trumpets.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Bains, backed by Democratic Party leaders and major labor organizations, ran as a more moderate Democrat with a healthcare background who occasionally broke with her party on Assembly votes.
—Mathew Miranda
june 9, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for back
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Cite this Entry
“Back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
back
1 of 4 noun1
a
: the rear part of the human body especially from the neck to the end of the spine
b
: the corresponding part of a four-footed or lower animal
2
: the part of something that is opposite or away from the front part
3
: something at or on the back for support
back of a chair
4
a
: a position in some games (as football or soccer) behind the front line of players
b
: a player in this position
back
2 of 4 adverb1
a
: to, toward, or at the rear
b
: in or into the past : ago
c
: in or into a reclining position
d
: under control : in check
held back
2
: to, toward, or in a place from which a person or thing came
3
: in return or reply
write back
talk back
back
3 of 4 adjective1
a
: being at or in the back
back door
b
: distant from a central or main area
back roads
2
: not yet paid : overdue
back rent
3
: no longer current
back issues of a magazine
back
4 of 4 verb1
: to give aid or support to
2
: to move or cause to move back or backward
3
: to shift in a counterclockwise direction
the wind backed around
4
: to provide with a back
backer
noun
Medical Definition
back
noun1
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
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
Geographical Definition
Back
geographical name
river 605 miles (974 kilometers) long in Nunavut, Canada, rising along the border with the Northwest Territories and flowing east-northeast into the Arctic Ocean
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