back
n. · v. · adv. · adj.-
1 body part (n.) A1 Beginnerthe part of your body from your neck down to your waist that is opposite your chest.
the posterior portion of the human trunk extending from the neck to the pelvis.
ExampleHe lay on his back and looked up at the stars in the sky.
ExampleThe patient complained of a dull ache in her lower back after lifting several heavy boxes without proper form.
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2 rear of an object (n.) A1 Beginnerthe part of something that is furthest from the front.
the part or area of an object or location that is opposite the front or main side.
ExampleThe answers to the exercises are at the back of the book.
ExampleWe found a small, quiet table at the back of the restaurant, away from the noise of the busy street.
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3 sports position (n.) B1 Intermediate Sporta player in a game like football who stays near their own goal to defend.
a defensive player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring.
ExampleThe team has a very strong left back who stops most attacks.
ExampleThe coach decided to play with four backs to ensure the defense remained solid against the league's top strikers.
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4 to support (v.) B2 Upper Intermediateto give help or support to a person, plan, or idea.
to provide moral, financial, or political support to an individual or initiative.
ExampleMany local businesses decided to back the new community center project.
ExampleThe investors refused to back the startup until the founders could provide a more detailed three-year financial forecast.
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5 to move backwards (v.) B1 Intermediateto move a vehicle or yourself backwards.
to cause a vehicle or person to move in a reverse direction.
ExampleHe had to back the car into the narrow garage very slowly.
ExampleThe truck driver carefully backed the trailer toward the loading dock while a colleague signaled from the ground.
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6 return to a place (adv.) A1 Beginnerreturning to a place where you were before.
indicating a return to a previous location, state, or condition.
ExampleWhen do you think you will be back from your holiday?
ExampleAfter wandering through the forest for hours, they finally found the trail that led them back to the campsite.
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7 in the past (adv.) A2 Elementaryat a time in the past.
referring to a point in time previous to the present.
ExampleBack in the 1990s, nobody had a smartphone.
ExampleThe traditions of this village date back several centuries to a time before the industrial revolution.
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8 at the rear (adj.) A2 Elementarylocated at the rear or the end of something.
situated at the rear; often used attributively to describe position.
ExampleWe usually use the back door because it is closer to the driveway.
ExampleThe back garden was overgrown with weeds, contrasting sharply with the neatly manicured lawn at the front of the house.
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9 past or overdue (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediaterelating to the past or money that was not paid on time.
referring to previous issues of a publication or payments that are in arrears.
ExampleThe company owes its employees three months of back pay.
ExampleThe researcher spent the afternoon in the library archives looking through back issues of the local newspaper from the 1950s.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-der.? Proto-Germanic *baką Proto-West Germanic *bak Old English bæc Middle English bak English back From Middle English bak, from Old English bæc, from Proto-West Germanic bak, from Proto-Germanic baką, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- (“to bend”). The adverb represents an aphetic form of aback. Compare Middle Low German bak (“back”), from Old Saxon bak, and West Frisian bekling (“chair back”), Old High German bah, Swedish and Norwegian bak. Cognate with German Bache (“sow [adult female hog]”).
Borrowed from French bac.