Language Research

back · adverb

/bæk/Full view

back (RETURNING)

A1 where someone or something was before

Dictionary examples:

When do you go back to school?

I put the can back in the cabinet.

Learner example:

She [went] back home at once. (Skills for Life (Entry 1); A1; Polish)

back (REPLY)

A2 as a reply or reaction to something

Dictionary examples:

I'm busy at the moment - can I call you back?

I waved to her and she waved back.

Learner example:

Write back to me soon. (Key English Test; A2; Chinese)

back (BEHIND)

B1 in a direction behind you

Dictionary examples:

He sat back on the sofa.

Anna stepped back.

Learner example:

I cried [out], stepping back and falling down. (First Certificate in English; B2; Polish)

back (STATE)

B2 to the state something or someone was in before

Dictionary examples:

It's not badly broken - I'm sure we can put it back together again.

Hopefully things will get back to normal soon.

A thunderstorm woke me, and I couldn't get back to sleep.

Learner example:

My life was back to normal. (First Certificate in English; B2; Danish)

back (EARLIER)

B2 at or to an earlier time

Dictionary examples:

We first met back in 1971.

This tradition dates back to the 16th century.

Learner example:

All in all, it is difficult to get bored in Moscow, where you can see buildings which date back to centur[i]es ago. (First Certificate in English; B2; Russian)

back (AWAY FROM)

B2 in a direction away from something

Dictionary examples:

He pulled back the curtain.

The house is set back from the road.

Learner example:

The action of the book takes place in a lonely inn standing back from the road. (First Certificate in English; B2; Polish)

back and forth

C2 in one direction and then in the opposite direction, often many times

Dictionary examples:

She swayed back and forth to the music.

She drove back and forth between Rochester and New York several times this summer.

Learner example:

Finally, after much walking back and forth, we found a road, which we followed till we got to the town. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Spanish)

back · noun C

/bæk/

the back

A2 the part of something that is farthest from the front or on the side opposite the front

Dictionary examples:

He wrote her e-mail address down on the back of an envelope.

Our seats were right at the back of the theater.

Learner example:

My cousins love mermaids, so each sweater has one on the back. (Key English Test; A2; Spanish)

back (BODY)

A2 the part of your body from your shoulders to your bottom

Dictionary examples:

back injuries/pain

I've got a bad back.

He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Learner example:

The look on his face stopped me cold, as if someone had just poured freezing water down my back. (Preliminary English Test; B1; French)

in back of sb/sth

B1 behind someone or something

Dictionary example:

They sat in back of us on the plane.

Learner example:

I looked in back of me and saw my best friend, Malcom, laughing like crazy. (Preliminary English Test; B1; French)

back (SEAT)

C2 the part of a seat that you lean against when you are sitting

Dictionary example:

the back of a chair

Learner example:

The back of the sofa is scratched, too. (International English Language Testing System; C2; Russian)

behind sb's back

C2 If you do something behind someone's back, you do it without them knowing, often in an unfair way.

Dictionary example:

Have they been saying things about me behind my back?

Learner example:

The food must be perfect, too, or else her mother-in-law and my father's sisters will think that she's not a proper wife, and will probably say insulting things about her behind her back. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Greek)

turn your back on sb/sth

C2 to decide to stop having contact with someone or something, or to refuse to help someone

Dictionary example:

She turned her back on Hollywood and went to live in Florida.

Learner example:

She gets to learn that Olivia turned her back on her past and merged totally with India through her attraction to and sympathy for the Nawab. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Catalan)

back · adjective always before noun

/bæk/

back

A2 at or near the back of something

Dictionary examples:

a back door/room

the back page/seat

I put it in the back pocket of my jeans.

Learner example:

There are two movies, but one is for adults so we will see "The back garden". (Preliminary English Test; B1; Spanish)

back road/street

C1 a small road or street without much traffic and away from the main roads

Dictionary example:

I prefer to take back roads and avoid the highway traffic.

Learner example:

From the museum you have to walk across a pedestrian street, through an unspoiled district, where a jumble of narrow back streets retain old-world character. (Certificate in Advanced English; C1; French)

back · verb

/bæk/

back

C2 T to give support or help to a person, plan, or idea

Dictionary example:

The board refuses to back our plan.

Learner example:

Of course, without [the] people wh[o] are backing the leader in his fight, he could not achieve his success. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Polish)

back (sth) away/into/out, etc.

C2 to move backward

Dictionary examples:

When the dog growled, she backed away.

He backed the car into a tree.

Learner example:

When he backed out of the parking lot, he almost crashed into another car. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; German)

back off

C2 to move away from someone, usually because you are afraid

Dictionary example:

I saw he had a knife and backed off immediately.

Learner example:

Mad Dog would kill him if he tried to back off. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Portuguese)

back out

C1 to decide not to do something you had planned or agreed to do

Dictionary example:

Frank backed out at the last minute, so we had a spare ticket.

Learner example:

I met her in the next day, and tried to make an excuse, to back out [of] the deal, but she didn't let me. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Portuguese)

back up sb or back sb up

B2 to support or help someone

Dictionary examples:

My family backed me up in my fight for compensation.

The last witness backed up what other people had said happened.

Learner example:

These courses seem to have been popular, perhaps because the teacher of these courses was there to back up and help the students. (First Certificate in English; B2; Greek)

back up sth or back sth up

C2 often passive to prove that something is true

Dictionary example:

His claims are backed up by recent research.

Learner example:

To back up this claim, the case of children who have grown up in orphanages is often cited. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Japanese)

back up (sth) or back (sth) up

B2 to make an extra copy of something that is held in your computer

Dictionary example:

Always back up any music you download in case your computer crashes.