back

1. noun

1)

she's broken her back

Syn:

spine, backbone, spinal column, vertebral column

2)

the back of the house

Syn:

rear, rear side, other side; Nautical stern

Ant:

front

3)

the back of the line

Syn:

end, tail end, rear end, rear, tail, tag end

Ant:

front, head

4)

the back of a postcard

Syn:

reverse, other side, underside; verso; informal flip side

Ant:

front, face

2. adverb

1)

he pushed his chair back

Syn:

backward, behind one, to one's rear, rearward; away, off

Ant:

forward

2)

a few months back

Syn:

ago, earlier, previously, before, in the past

3. verb

1)

the government backed the initiative with $4 million

Syn:

sponsor, finance, put up the money for, fund, subsidize, underwrite, be a patron of, act as guarantor of; informal foot the bill for, pick up the tab for; bankroll, stake

2)

most people backed the idea

Syn:

support, endorse, sanction, approve of, give one's blessing to, smile on, favor, advocate, promote, uphold, champion; vote for, ally oneself with, stand behind, stick by, side with, be on the side of, defend, take up the cudgels for; second; informal throw one's weight behind

Ant:

oppose

3)

he backed the horse at 33 – 1

Syn:

bet on, gamble on, stake money on

4)

he backed out of the garage

Syn:

reverse, draw back, step back, move backward, back off, pull back, retreat, withdraw, give ground, backtrack, retrace one's steps, recede

Ant:

move forward, advance

4. adjective

1)

the back seats

Syn:

rear, rearmost, backmost, hind, hindmost, hinder, posterior

Ant:

front

2)

a back copy

Syn:

past, old, previous, earlier, former, out of date

Ant:

future

•

- back away

- back down

- back out of

- back someone up

- back something up

- behind someone's back