back
noun
[ bak ]
• the rear surface of the human body from the shoulders to the hips.
• "he lay on his back"
• the side or part of something that is away from the spectator or from the direction in which it moves or faces; the rear.
• "at the back of the hotel is a secluded garden"
Similar:
rear,
rear side,
other side,
stern,
end,
tail end,
rear end,
tail,
far end,
tag end,
• a player in a team game who plays in a defensive position behind the forwards.
• "their backs showed some impressive running and passing"
• the grounds of Cambridge colleges which back on to the River Cam.
back
adverb
• in the opposite direction from the one that one is facing or travelling towards.
• "he moved back a pace"
• so as to return to an earlier or normal position or condition.
• "she put the book back on the shelf"
• in or into the past.
• "he made his fortune back in 1955"
• in return.
• "they wrote back to me"
back
verb
• give financial, material, or moral support to.
• "he had a newspaper empire backing him"
Similar:
sponsor,
finance,
put up the money for,
fund,
subsidize,
underwrite,
promote,
lend one's name to,
be a patron of,
act as guarantor of,
support,
foot the bill for,
pick up the tab for,
bankroll,
stake,
endorse,
sanction,
approve of,
give one's blessing to,
smile on,
favour,
advocate,
uphold,
champion,
vote for,
ally oneself with,
stand behind,
side with,
be on the side of,
defend,
take up the cudgels for,
second,
throw one's weight behind,
stand by,
give one's support to,
be on someone's side,
take someone's side,
take someone's part,
vouch for,
help,
assist,
aid,
• walk or drive backwards.
• "I put the car in reverse and backed down the road"
Similar:
reverse,
move/drive backwards,
backtrack,
retrace one's steps,
draw back,
step back,
move away,
back off,
retreat,
withdraw,
pull back,
give ground,
shrink back,
blench,
cower,
quail,
quake,
Opposite:
move forwards,
advance,
move forward,
• cover the back of (an article) in order to support, protect, or decorate it.
• "a mirror backed with tortoiseshell"
• lie behind or at the back of.
• "the promenade is backed by lots of cafes"
back
adjective
• of or at the back of something.
• "the back garden"
• from or relating to the past.
• "she was owed back pay"
• directed towards the rear or in a reversed course.
• "a back header"
• (of a sound) articulated at the back of the mouth.
• "a long back vowel, as in 'dance' or 'bath'"
Origin:
Old English bæc, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch and Old Norse bak . The adverb use dates from late Middle English and is a shortening of aback.
