# back

/ˈbæk/ (US) · /bˈæk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/back
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. body part

noun · CEFR A1

the part of your body from your neck down to your waist that is opposite your chest.

For teachers: the posterior portion of the human trunk extending from the neck to the pelvis.

- He lay on his back and looked up at the stars in the sky.
- The patient complained of a dull ache in her lower back after lifting several heavy boxes without proper form.

### 2. rear of an object

noun · CEFR A1

the part of something that is furthest from the front.

For teachers: the part or area of an object or location that is opposite the front or main side.

- The answers to the exercises are at the back of the book.
- We found a small, quiet table at the back of the restaurant, away from the noise of the busy street.

### 3. sports position

noun · CEFR B1

a player in a game like football who stays near their own goal to defend.

For teachers: a defensive player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring.

- The team has a very strong left back who stops most attacks.
- The coach decided to play with four backs to ensure the defense remained solid against the league's top strikers.

### 4. to support

verb · CEFR B2

to give help or support to a person, plan, or idea.

For teachers: to provide moral, financial, or political support to an individual or initiative.

- Many local businesses decided to back the new community center project.
- The investors refused to back the startup until the founders could provide a more detailed three-year financial forecast.

### 5. to move backwards

verb · CEFR B1

to move a vehicle or yourself backwards.

For teachers: to cause a vehicle or person to move in a reverse direction.

- He had to back the car into the narrow garage very slowly.
- The truck driver carefully backed the trailer toward the loading dock while a colleague signaled from the ground.

### 6. return to a place

adverb · CEFR A1

returning to a place where you were before.

For teachers: indicating a return to a previous location, state, or condition.

- When do you think you will be back from your holiday?
- After wandering through the forest for hours, they finally found the trail that led them back to the campsite.

### 7. in the past

adverb · CEFR A2

at a time in the past.

For teachers: referring to a point in time previous to the present.

- Back in the 1990s, nobody had a smartphone.
- The traditions of this village date back several centuries to a time before the industrial revolution.

### 8. at the rear

adjective · CEFR A2

located at the rear or the end of something.

For teachers: situated at the rear; often used attributively to describe position.

- We usually use the back door because it is closer to the driveway.
- The back garden was overgrown with weeds, contrasting sharply with the neatly manicured lawn at the front of the house.

### 9. past or overdue

adjective · CEFR B2

relating to the past or money that was not paid on time.

For teachers: referring to previous issues of a publication or payments that are in arrears.

- The company owes its employees three months of back pay.
- The researcher spent the afternoon in the library archives looking through back issues of the local newspaper from the 1950s.

## Examples

- My back hurts from sitting all day.
- He carried the heavy grocery bags on his back all the way home from the store.
- The old book's leather back was cracked and faded, showing the countless times it had been pulled from the shelf over the centuries.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.