back
rear of the upper body
The part of your body behind your chest, from your neck to your waist.
[someone]'s back
- He hurt his back while lifting boxes.
- She lay on her back and looked at the sky.
- I patted him on the back for encouragement.
- My back hurts after work.
- He sleeps on his back.
- She has a strong back.
toward a previous location
To go to a place where you were before.
go/come back to [place]
- I need to go back to the office.
- She came back from vacation yesterday.
- He looked back at the house one last time.
- I will go back home now.
- She came back to school.
- He looked back at me.
support or endorse someone/something
To say or show that you support someone or something.
back [someone/something]
- The board decided to back the new proposal.
- I will back you if you decide to run for office.
- Several celebrities backed the charity event.
- I will back my friend in the game.
- They back the new idea.
- She backs him in the meeting.
rear side of an object/place
The part of something that is behind or opposite from the front.
the back of [something]
- The instructions are on the back of the package.
- We parked at the back of the building.
- There’s a garden at the back of our house.
- The shop is at the back of my house.
- There is a label on the back of the box.
- We stand at the back of the room.
move in reverse direction
To move a car or other thing backwards.
back [vehicle/object] [direction]
- He backed the car out of the driveway.
- Can you back up a little?
- She accidentally backed into another vehicle.
- Please back the car slowly.
- He backs into the garage.
- She backs up her bike.
- Base: back
- Plural: back, backs
- Base: back
- 3rd Person Singular: backs
- Present Participle: backing
- Past: backed
back and forth
1repeated movement in two directions
Moving first one way and then the other way again and again.
- The children ran back and forth across the yard.
- We talked back and forth for hours.
back and forth
1repeatedly in opposite directions
from one side to the other many times
- The kids ran back and forth across the yard.
- We went back and forth by email for a week.
- She rocked back and forth in her chair.
back in the day
1in the past, nostalgically remembered time
Talking about a time in the past that you remember fondly.
- Back in the day, we didn’t have smartphones.
- He often talks about how things were better back in the day.
back up
1copy data, reverse, or support claim/person
To make a copy of data, move backwards, or give support for what someone says or does.
- Remember to back up your files regularly.
- The truck backed up slowly into the alley.
- She backed up her argument with facts.
behind someone's back
1without someone's knowledge, secretly and unfairly
To do something without someone knowing, often something bad or dishonest.
- They made fun of him behind his back.
- She was angry that they had planned it behind her back.
get off my back
1stop bothering or criticizing me
Stop telling me what to do or criticizing me all the time.
- I’ll do it later, so get off my back!
- He told his boss to get off his back about deadlines.