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back 1 of 4

adverb

Definition of backnext
1
as in ago
earlier than the present time that's longer back than I can remember

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in around
toward the opposite direction turned back for one last comment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in backward
toward the rear concert security asked the crowd to move back

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

back

2 of 4

noun

ˈbak How to pronounce back (audio)
1
as in rear
a behind part or surface the back of the page was blank

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jugular
a vulnerable point a candidate needing a loyal aide who can be relied upon to always watch his back

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back

3 of 4

verb

1
as in to advocate
to promote the interests or cause of she enthusiastically backed the plan to renovate and upgrade the school's facilities

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to aid
to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end a number of influential people have already agreed to back the candidate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to reinforce
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) the author needs to back her thesis with more facts

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

back

4 of 4

adjective

as in hind
being at or in the part of something opposite the front part she carried all the presents in the back door, as the children were playing in the front yard

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word back different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of back are advocate, champion, support, and uphold. While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

refusing to back the call for sanctions

When can advocate be used instead of back?

While the synonyms advocate and back are close in meaning, advocate stresses urging or pleading.

advocated prison reform

Where would champion be a reasonable alternative to back?

The words champion and back are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

championed the rights of children

When might support be a better fit than back?

In some situations, the words support and back are roughly equivalent. However, support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

supports waterfront development

When is it sensible to use uphold instead of back?

The words uphold and back can be used in similar contexts, but uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

upheld the legitimacy of the military action

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of back
Adverb
Spatola stepped out of fatigues and back on to the hardwood as an assistant coach for Duke basketball between 2007 and 2012. — David K. Li, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2026 Kwon theorizes that as the extra tax refunds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act got spent, retail buyers pulled back. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Noun
It is built the same way that the figure skater builds a routine or the running back learns to explode through a crack in the line—repetition after repetition, failure after failure, with no shortcut available and no machine that can stand in. — Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 As Hafley and his Dolphins (0-1) get ready to face the 49ers (1-0) in the second game for this new regime in Miami, Hafley took a moment to reflect on his three seasons with San Francisco, as defensive backs coach from 2016 through 2018. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Verb
Part of the answer lies in building a resilience posture backed by more inventory, backup suppliers and better tracking and monitoring software. — Zaharia-Gabriel Sidere, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026 Jeezy, Teyana Taylor, Jermaine Dupri, Usher, Swizz Beatz, Rihanna (who briefly out-swaggered Jay), Pharrell, and Beyoncé, backed by the Mayyas, a Lebanese dance group. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Adjective
The Panthers don’t yet know if starting outside linebacker Pat Jones will return from the back injury that kept him sidelined last week. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 20 Sep. 2026 The back half-acre is described as technically developable, with plans showing potential for two accessory dwelling units. — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back
  1. ago
  2. around
  3. backward
  4. rear
  5. jugular
  6. advocate
  7. aid
  8. reinforce
Adverb
  • These unaltered cosmic fingerprints let researchers map the temperatures, environmental conditions, and chemical reservoirs that produced organic matter billions of years ago.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The escalation ended a 2022 ceasefire that largely ended fighting in Yemen's civil war, which started when the Houthis swept in from their mountainous heartland and seized much of northern and central Yemen, including Sanaa, 12 years ago.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of ago
Adverb
  • More Just last year, individual senators used their powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to vote to block earlier Canada tariffs, but there’s no such option this time around.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Even though Douglas was moving around easily after the game, teams typically don’t know the seriousness of injuries until the player undergoes an MRI a day or two after suffering the injury.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of around
Adverb
  • Due to her injury, Rose was unable to complete the first task on Special Forces — falling out of a helicopter backwards and landing in a body of water — like the rest of her costars, opting to do the jump feet first.
    — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Everything Tom Holland does in the upcoming Fred Astaire biopic, Sabrina Carpenter will have to do backwards and in heels.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of backward
Noun
  • Black renders the majority of the sneaker, but red rears its head again through speckling on the midsole, TPU flyplate, full medial Swoosh and lining.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Officers were responding to a house sitter who discovered the damage while checking on loud banging in the home’s rear, police said.
    — Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of rear
Noun
  • Even Rodrigo, the almost too-good student who should make a mess someday, went total sprite, toying with everyone’s jugular.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
  • And then Alvarez went for the jugular with a grand slam to deep center field.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
Definition of jugular
Verb
  • In her interview with AP, Mohammadi -- who has been jailed repeatedly over decades of advocating for human rights and was behind bars when she was awarded the Nobel Prize -- described her most recent arrest, detention and health.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Detention was ‘life-threatening’ Mohammadi, 54, who has been jailed repeatedly over decades of advocating for human rights and was behind bars when she was awarded the Nobel Prize, described her most recent arrest, detention and health.
    — Amir-Hussein Radjy, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of advocate
Verb
  • Iron is long associated with immune support, soda is believed to aid digestion, arsenic is traditionally used to soothe arthritic pain, and lithia is prized for its calming qualities.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The chair of Buzz Oates, the commercial real estate firm founded by his father, sat in the second row of Placer County’s historic courthouse in Auburn, wearing a black headset to aid in hearing the proceedings.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of aid
Verb
  • Mazzagatti emphasized that decarbonization and energy security must reinforce each other, noting that modular nuclear power can support both legacy industrial plants and the soaring energy appetites of modern computing.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
  • That will help reinforce the movie as a filmmaking experience, and not as only a Cruise vehicle.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of reinforce

Phrases Containing back

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baches
back
backache
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Cite this Entry

“Back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on back

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about back

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