back

I

n

1. rear, end, tail end, heel, stern; posterior, breech, buttocks, rump, fundament, hindquarters, (of animals) loins, (horse) croup; (of the neck) nape, (of the neck) scruff, (of the head) Anat. occiput; reverse, reverse side, other side, flip side.

2. spine, vertebrae, backbone. See backbone (def.1).

3. behind one’s back

treacherously, falsely, faithlessly, disloyally, perfidiously; deceitfully, deviously, slyly, sneakily, furtively, secretly; insidiously, maliciously, venemously.

4. break [s.o.’s] back

bankrupt, ruin, wipe out, Inf. break, Sl. bust; (usu. financially) cripple, defeat, vanquish, overcome, crush.

5. flat on one’s back

helpless, aidless, defenseless, beaten; destitute, friendless, abandoned, forlorn; incapacitated, powerless, impotent, weak, debilitated, strengthless, Inf. laid up.

6. get one’s back up

annoy, irritate, vex, irk, pique, provoke, exasperate, gall, anger.

7. turn one’s back on

forsake, abandon, leave behind, leave alone; reject, renounce, repudiate, disown, have done with; neglect, disregard, ignore, overlook, close one's eyes to, take no note of.

v

8. support, help, aid, assist, succor, abet; encourage, promote, patronize, subsidize, sponsor, guarantee, warrant, ensure, countersign; endorse, approve, favor, sanction, countenance, recommend, maintain, affirm, advocate, argue or plead for.

9. sustain, hold up, uphold, bolster, strengthen, reinforce; corroborate, attest, validate, certify, substantiate, vouch for, second, back up, confirm, stand up for, take sides with, testify for, bear witness; Racing. bet on; Music. accompany.

10.(all usually with up) return, reverse, backtrack, back down, decline, retract; spring back, rebound, resile, recoil; revert, relapse, retrogress; pull or draw or fall back, retreat, beat a retreat, turn tail, ebb, recede, retrocede, Rare. regrade.

11. back down or out or out of

abandon, withdraw from, retreat; renege, back-pedal, Sl. cop out.

12. back off

back down; let up, stop, relent, forbear, hold back, refrain; discontinue.

adj

13. hind, posterior, rear, hinder; Anat. dorsal, Anat. caudal, Zool. tergal, Bot. abaxial; hindmost, last.

14. removed, remote, out-of-the-way, secluded, isolated.

15. past, former, bygone, elapsed, expired, obsolete; overdue, late.

II

adv

1. backward, to the rear, behind. See backward (def.1).

2. earlier, prior, since, ago, heretofore.

3. back and forth

to and fro, from side to side; (of persons) indecisive, uncertain, tentative, wavering, vacillating, undecided, fickle.

4. go back on

betray, forsake, play false, break faith; repudiate, disavow, renege, contradict, deny, gainsay, take back, back-pedal, retract, weasel out, Sl cop out.