backed
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.gave support, money, or help to someone or something.
v.provided financial, moral, or political support to a person, organization, or project.
Simple“The new business was backed by several local investors who believed in the idea.”
In context“The proposed legislation was backed by a broad coalition of environmental groups and urban planners.”
UsageOften used in the passive voice with 'by'.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
v.moved a vehicle or yourself backwards.
v.moved in a reverse direction, especially when operating a vehicle.
Simple“He backed the car into the garage very carefully.”
In context“The driver backed the lorry into the narrow loading bay without hitting any of the surrounding equipment.”
UsageCommonly used with directional adverbs like 'into', 'out', or 'away'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.having a certain kind of back or support, usually used with another word.
adj.possessing a specified type of back or backing; almost exclusively used in compound adjectives.
Simple“We bought some high-backed chairs for the dining room table.”
In context“The gallery was filled with gold-backed mirrors that reflected the light from the chandeliers.”
UsageTypically appears as the second part of a hyphenated compound adjective.
“He's backed by Pinkfong, the South Korean kids entertainment company that made Baby Shark - but will they find success again?”
“What Moen wants to give him, and the millions like him, is permission, backed by science, to stop fighting the body's signal and work with it instead.”
From back (verb).
From back (noun) + -ed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.