[syn: back, backward]
5. in reply;
- Example: "he wrote back three days later"
6. in repayment or retaliation;
- Example: "we paid back everything we had borrowed"
- Example: "he hit me and I hit him back"
- Example: "I was kept in after school for talking back to the teacher"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Back \Back\, n. [F. bac: cf. Arm. bag, bak a bark, D. bak tray,
bowl.]
1. A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by
brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and
others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot
glue, etc.
[1913 Webster]
Hop back, Jack back, the cistern which receives the
infusion of malt and hops from the copper.
Wash back, a vat in which distillers ferment the wort to
form wash.
Water back, a cistern to hold a supply of water; esp. a
small cistern at the back of a stove, or a group of pipes
set in the fire box of a stove or furnace, through which
water circulates and is heated.
[1913 Webster]
2. A ferryboat. See Bac, 1.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Back \Back\ (b[a^]k), n. [AS. b[ae]c, bac; akin to Icel., Sw., &
LG. bak, Dan. bag; cf. OHG. bahho ham, Skr. bhaj to turn,
OSlav. b[=e]g[u^] flight. Cf. Bacon.]
1. In human beings, the hinder part of the body, extending
from the neck to the end of the spine; in other animals,
that part of the body which corresponds most nearly to
such part of a human being; as, the back of a horse, fish,
or lobster.
[1913 Webster]
2. An extended upper part, as of a mountain or ridge.
[1913 Webster]
[The mountains] their broad bare backs upheave
Into the clouds. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
3. The outward or upper part of a thing, as opposed to the
inner or lower part; as, the back of the hand, the back of
the foot, the back of a hand rail.
[1913 Webster]
Methought Love pitying me, when he saw this,
Gave me your hands, the backs and palms to kiss.
--Donne.
[1913 Webster]
4. The part opposed to the front; the hinder or rear part of
a thing; as, the back of a book; the back of an army; the
back of a chimney.
[1913 Webster]
5. The part opposite to, or most remote from, that which
fronts the speaker or actor; or the part out of sight, or
not generally seen; as, the back of an island, of a hill,
or of a village.
[1913 Webster]
6. The part of a cutting tool on the opposite side from its
edge; as, the back of a knife, or of a saw.
[1913 Webster]
7. A support or resource in reserve.
[1913 Webster]
This project
Should have a back or second, that might hold,
If this should blast in proof. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
8. (Naut.) The keel and keelson of a ship.
[1913 Webster]
9. (Mining) The upper part of a lode, or the roof of a
horizontal underground passage.
[1913 Webster]
10. A garment for the back; hence, clothing. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
A bak to walken inne by daylight. --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
Behind one's back, when one is absent; without one's
knowledge; as, to ridicule a person behind his back.
Full back, Half back, Quarter back (Football), players
stationed behind those in the front line.
To be on one's back or To lie on one's back, to be
helpless.
To put one's back up or to get one's back up, to assume
an attitude of obstinate resistance (from the action of a
cat when attacked). [Colloq.]
To see the back of, to get rid of.
To turn the back, to go away; to flee.
To turn the back on one, to forsake or neglect him.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Back \Back\ (b[a^]k), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Backed (b[a^]kt); p.
pr. & vb. n. Backing.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To get upon the back of; to mount.
[1913 Webster]
I will back him [a horse] straight. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. To place or seat upon the back. [R.]
[1913 Webster]
Great Jupiter, upon his eagle backed,
Appeared to me. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
3. To drive or force backward; to cause to retreat or recede;
as, to back oxen.
[1913 Webster]
4. To make a back for; to furnish with a back; as, to back
books.
[1913 Webster]
5. To adjoin behind; to be at the back of.
[1913 Webster]
A garden . . . with a vineyard backed. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
The chalk cliffs which back the beach. --Huxley.
[1913 Webster]
6. To write upon the back of; as, to back a letter; to
indorse; as, to back a note or legal document.
[1913 Webster]
7. To support; to maintain; to second or strengthen by aid or
influence; as, to back a friend. "The Parliament would be
backed by the people." --Macaulay.
[1913 Webster]
Have still found it necessary to back and fortify
their laws with rewards and punishments. --South.
[1913 Webster]
The mate backed the captain manfully. --Blackw. Mag.
[1913 Webster]
8. To bet on the success of; -- as, to back a race horse.
[1913 Webster]
To back an anchor (Naut.), to lay down a small anchor ahead
of a large one, the cable of the small one being fastened
to the crown of the large one.
To back the field, in horse racing, to bet against a
particular horse or horses, that some one of all the other
horses, collectively designated "the field", will win.
To back the oars, to row backward with the oars.
To back a rope, to put on a preventer.
To back the sails, to arrange them so as to cause the ship
to move astern.
To back up, to support; to sustain; as, to back up one's
friends.
To back a warrant (Law), is for a justice of the peace, in
the county where the warrant is to be executed, to sign or
indorse a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend
an offender.
To back water (Naut.), to reverse the action of the oars,
paddles, or propeller, so as to force the boat or ship
backward.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Back \Back\, a.
1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the
back door; back settlements.
[1913 Webster]
2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent.
[1913 Webster]
3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action.
[1913 Webster]
Back blocks, Australian pastoral country which is remote
from the seacoast or from a river. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
Back charges, charges brought forward after an account has
been made up.
Back filling (Arch.), the mass of materials used in filling
up the space between two walls, or between the inner and
outer faces of a wall, or upon the haunches of an arch or
vault.
Back pressure. (Steam Engine) See under Pressure.
Back rest, a guide attached to the slide rest of a lathe,
and placed in contact with the work, to steady it in
turning.
Back slang, a kind of slang in which every word is written
or pronounced backwards; as, nam for man.
Back stairs, stairs in the back part of a house; private
stairs. Also used adjectively. See Back stairs,
Backstairs, and Backstair, in the Vocabulary.
Back step (Mil.), the retrograde movement of a man or body
of men, without changing front.
Back stream, a current running against the main current of
a stream; an eddy.
To take the back track, to retrace one's steps; to retreat.
[Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Back \Back\, v. i.
1. To move or go backward; as, the horse refuses to back.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Naut.) To change from one quarter to another by a course
opposite to that of the sun; -- used of the wind.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Sporting) To stand still behind another dog which has
pointed; -- said of a dog. [Eng.]
[1913 Webster]
To back and fill, to manage the sails of a ship so that the
wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in
order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel
while the current or tide carries the vessel against the
wind. Hence: (Fig.) To take opposite positions
alternately; to assert and deny. [Colloq.]
To back out, To back down, to retreat or withdraw from a
promise, engagement, or contest; to recede. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
Cleon at first . . . was willing to go; but, finding
that he [Nicias] was in earnest, he tried to back
out. --Jowett
(Thucyd. )
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Back \Back\, adv. [Shortened from aback.]
1. In, to, or toward, the rear; as, to stand back; to step
back.
[1913 Webster]
2. To the place from which one came; to the place or person
from which something is taken or derived; as, to go back
for something left behind; to go back to one's native
place; to put a book back after reading it.
[1913 Webster]
3. To a former state, condition, or station; as, to go back
to private life; to go back to barbarism.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Of time) In times past; ago. "Sixty or seventy years
back." --Gladstone.
[1913 Webster]
5. Away from contact; by reverse movement.
[1913 Webster]
The angel of the Lord . . . came, and rolled back
the stone from the door. --Matt.
xxviii. 2.
[1913 Webster]
6. In concealment or reserve; in one's own possession; as, to
keep back the truth; to keep back part of the money due to
another.
[1913 Webster]
7. In a state of restraint or hindrance.
[1913 Webster]
The Lord hath kept thee back from honor. --Numb.
xxiv. 11.
[1913 Webster]
8. In return, repayment, or requital.
[1913 Webster]
What have I to give you back? --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
9. In withdrawal from a statement, promise, or undertaking;
as, he took back the offensive words.
[1913 Webster]
10. In arrear; as, to be back in one's rent. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
Back and forth, backwards and forwards; to and fro.
To go back on, to turn back from; to abandon; to betray;
as, to go back on a friend; to go back on one's
professions. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
back
adv 1: in or to or toward a former location; "she went back to
her parents' house"
2: at or to or toward the back or rear; "he moved back";
"tripped when he stepped backward"; "she looked rearward out
the window of the car" [syn: back, backward, backwards,
rearward, rearwards] [ant: forrad, forrard,
forward, forwards, frontward, frontwards]
3: in or to or toward an original condition; "he went back to
sleep"
4: in or to or toward a past time; "set the clocks back an
hour"; "never look back"; "lovers of the past looking fondly
backward" [syn: back, backward] [ant: ahead, forward]
5: in reply; "he wrote back three days later"
6: in repayment or retaliation; "we paid back everything we had
borrowed"; "he hit me and I hit him back"; "I was kept in
after school for talking back to the teacher"
adj 1: related to or located at the back; "the back yard"; "the
back entrance" [ant: front(a)]
2: located at or near the back of an animal; "back (or hind)
legs"; "the hinder part of a carcass" [syn: back(a),
hind(a), hinder(a)]
3: of an earlier date; "back issues of the magazine"
n 1: the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the
neck to the end of the spine; "his back was nicely tanned"
[syn: back, dorsum]
2: the side that goes last or is not normally seen; "he wrote
the date on the back of the photograph" [syn: rear, back]
[ant: front]
3: the part of something that is furthest from the normal
viewer; "he stood at the back of the stage"; "it was hidden
in the rear of the store" [syn: back, rear] [ant:
front]
4: (football) a person who plays in the backfield
5: the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and
protecting the spinal cord; "the fall broke his back" [syn:
spinal column, vertebral column, spine, backbone,
back, rachis]
6: the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a
book; "the book had a leather binding" [syn: binding, book
binding, cover, back]
7: the part of a garment that covers the back of your body;
"they pinned a `kick me' sign on his back"
8: a support that you can lean against while sitting; "the back
of the dental chair was adjustable" [syn: back, backrest]
9: (American football) the position of a player on a football
team who is stationed behind the line of scrimmage
v 1: be behind; approve of; "He plumped for the Labor Party"; "I
backed Kennedy in 1960" [syn: back, endorse, indorse,
plump for, plunk for, support]
2: travel backward; "back into the driveway"; "The car backed up
and hit the tree"
3: give support or one's approval to; "I'll second that motion";
"I can't back this plan"; "endorse a new project" [syn:
second, back, endorse, indorse]
4: cause to travel backward; "back the car into the parking
spot" [ant: advance, bring forward]
5: support financial backing for; "back this enterprise"
6: be in back of; "My garage backs their yard" [ant: face,
front, look]
7: place a bet on; "Which horse are you backing?"; "I'm betting
on the new horse" [syn: bet on, back, gage, stake,
game, punt]
8: shift to a counterclockwise direction; "the wind backed"
[ant: veer]
9: establish as valid or genuine; "Can you back up your claims?"
[syn: back, back up]
10: strengthen by providing with a back or backing
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
714 Moby Thesaurus words for "back":
a priori, a rebours, a reculons, abandon, abet, accented,
acknowledgments, advance, advocate, affirm, afford support, aft,
after, aftermost, afterpart, afterpiece, again, against the grain,
ago, aid, alpenstock, alveolar, alveolar ridge, alveolus, angel,
ante, ante up, anticlockwise, apex, apical, apico-alveolar,
apico-dental, arear, arena, arm, around, arrested, articulated,
arytenoid cartilages, ascend, ascender, ascending, aside,
ass-backwards, assimilated, assist, assure, astern,
athletic supporter, attest, authenticate, away, axial, back away,
back door, back matter, back of beyond, back off, back seat,
back side, back up, back when, back-country, back-flowing,
backbone, backdrop, background, backing, backpedal, backside,
backstop, backtrack, backtrail, backward, backwards, backwater,
backwood, backwoods, backwoodsy, bandeau, bankroll, bankrupt,
barytone, bastard title, bastard type, be sponsor for, bear,
bear out, bear up, beard, bearer, behind, behindhand, belated,
belly, bestraddle, bestride, bet, bet on, bevel, bibliography,
bilabial, black letter, blade, blocked, board, body, bolster,
bolster up, bond, boost, bra, brace, bracer, bracket, brassiere,
break, breech, broad, budge, buoy up, buttress, by, cacuminal,
call, cane, cap, capital, capitalize, carrier, carry, case,
cast off, catch line, catchword, central, cerebral, certify,
cervix, champion, change, change place, chasing, checked, circle,
circumstantiate, climb, climb on, close, colophon, come after,
come last, commend, confirm, consonant, consonantal, contents,
contents page, continuant, copyright page, corroborate, corset,
counter, counterclockwise, countermarch, countersecure, cover,
cradle, crook, crush, crutch, cry up, cushion, deceitfully,
dedication, defeat, delayed, delayed-action, dental, deny, descend,
descender, descending, destroy, detained, disavow, disown,
disregard, dissimilated, distance, distant, document, dorsal,
dorsal region, dorsum, down-trending, downward, drifting, due,
early, ebb, elect, em, en, encourage, endleaf, endorse, endpaper,
endsheet, ensure, errata, ex post facto, extremity, face, fade,
fail, fall astern, fall back, fall behind, fat-faced type, feet,
field, finance, flat, flow, flowing, fluent, flying, flyleaf,
folio, follow, following, font, for a consideration, fore edge,
foreword, forsake, fortify, foundation garment, fro, front,
front matter, frontier, fulcrum, fund, furtively, gamble,
get behind, get in, get in behind, get on, get over, girdle,
give support, glide, glossal, glottal, go, go aboard, go around,
go astern, go back, go back on, go backwards, go into reverse,
go on board, go round, go sideways, going, gone by, groove, ground,
grubstake, guarantee, guaranty, guttural, guy, guywire, gyrate,
gyrational, gyratory, half-title page, hard, hard palate,
hard pressed, hazard, head, heavy, heel, held up, help, helpless,
high, hind, hind end, hind part, hinder, hindermost, hindhand,
hindhead, hindmost, hindward, hindwards, hinterland, hold, hold up,
hop in, hung up, hype, ignore, imprint, in a bind, in abeyance,
in arrear, in arrears, in back of, in compensation,
in consideration, in reserve, in return, in reverse, in times past,
index, inscription, insidiously, insure, into the past, intonated,
introduction, invest in, isolated, italic, jammed, jock, jockstrap,
jump in, keep afloat, keep up, labial, labiodental, labiovelar,
lag behind, larynx, late, lateral, latish, lax, lay, lay a wager,
lay down, leaf, lend support, letter, ligature, light, lingual,
lips, liquid, locale, logotype, loin, low, lower case, mainstay,
maintain, maintainer, majuscule, make a bet, make sternway, makeup,
mast, master, mature, meet a bet, mid, minuscule, mise-en-scene,
monophthongal, moratory, mount, mounting, move, move over, muted,
narrow, nasal, nasal cavity, nasalized, neck, never on time, nick,
nominate, obstructed, occiput, occlusive, open, oral cavity,
outback, outlandish, outlying, outstanding, overcome, overdue,
owed, owing, oxytone, page, palatal, palatalized, palate, parlay,
pass, passing, past due, patronize, pay for, payable, pharyngeal,
pharyngeal cavity, pharyngealized, pharynx, phonemic, phonetic,
phonic, pi, pica, pile in, pillow, pitch, pitched, play against,
plug, plunge, plunging, point, posterior, postern, posttonic,
preface, preliminaries, primitive, print, privately, probate,
progress, progressive, promote, prop, prove, provide for, puff,
punt, pursuing, rachis, ratify, raw, rear, rear end, rearmost,
rearward, rearwards, receivable, recommend, recto, redeemable,
refinance, reflex, reflowing, refluent, regress, regressive,
reinforce, reinforcement, reinforcer, reject, reminiscently,
remote, renege, repudiate, rest, resting place, retarded, retract,
retrad, retral, retreat, retroactive, retroactively, retrocede,
retroflex, retrograde, retrogress, retrogressive, retrospective,
retrospectively, reverse, reversed, reverso, revert, ridge,
rigging, rigidify, rise, rising, roman, rotary, rotate, rotational,
rotatory, rough, round, round about, rounded, ruin, run,
run interference for, running, running title, rushing, sans serif,
scene, screw up, script, second, secretly, secure, see, semivowel,
service, set up, setting, shank, shift, shore, shore up, shoulder,
shroud, side with, sideward, sign, sign for, signature, since,
sink, sinking, slow, slyly, small cap, small capital, sneakily,
soar, soaring, soft, soft palate, sonant, speak highly of,
speak warmly of, speak well of, speech organ, spin, spinal column,
spine, sponsor, sprit, staff, stage, stage set, stage setting,
stake, stamp, stand back of, stand behind, stand by, stand pat,
stand up for, standing rigging, stave, stay, stem, stern, stick,
stick by, stick up for, stiffen, stiffener, stir, stopped, stream,
streaming, strengthen, strengthener, stressed, strong,
subscribe to, subside, subsidize, substantiate, subtitle, subvene,
subvention, support, supporter, surd, surreptitiously, sustain,
sustainer, syllabic, sylvan, syrinx, table of contents, tail,
tail end, tailpiece, take sides with, tardy, teeth, teeth ridge,
tense, text, theater, thick, throaty, tighten, tip, title,
title page, to the rear, tonal, tongue, tonic, tout, trail,
trail behind, travel, treacherously, trice up, trim size,
turned around, twangy, type, type body, type class, type lice,
type page, typecase, typeface, typefounders, typefoundry,
unaccented, uncivilized, uncultivated, underbrace, undergird,
underlie, underpin, underset, undersign, underwrite, undeveloped,
uninhabited, unoccupied, unpaid, unpopulated, unpunctual, unready,
unrounded, unsettled, unstressed, untimely, up-country,
up-trending, upbear, uphold, upholder, upkeep, upper case, upward,
validate, vanquish, velar, velum, verify, verso, vertebrae,
vertebral column, virgin, vocal chink, vocal cords, vocal folds,
vocal processes, vocalic, vocoid, voice box, voiced, voiceless,
vote, vowel, vowellike, wager, walking stick, wane, warrant, waste,
weak, whirl, widdershins, wide, wild, wilderness, withdraw from,
without hope, woodland, wrong-way, wrong-way around
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):
BACK, n. That part of your friend which it is your privilege to
contemplate in your adversity.