Meaning of "back" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD BACK

Old English bæc; related to Old Norse bak, Old Frisian bek, Old High German bah.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF BACK

back  [bæk]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF BACK

Back is a verb and can also act as a noun, an adjective and an adverb.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb back in English.

The adverb is an invariable part of the sentence that can change, explain or simplify a verb or another adverb.

WHAT DOES BACK MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Human back

The human back is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck and the shoulders. It is the surface opposite to the chest, its height being defined by the vertebral column and its breadth being supported by the ribcage and shoulders. The spinal canal runs through the spine and provides nerves to the rest of the body.

Definition of back in the English dictionary

The first definition of back in the dictionary is the posterior part of the human body, extending from the neck to the pelvis related adjective dorsal. Other definition of back is the corresponding or upper part of an animal. Back is also the spinal column.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO BACK

PRESENT

Present

I back

you back

he/she/it backs

we back

you back

they back

Present continuous

I am backing

you are backing

he/she/it is backing

we are backing

you are backing

they are backing

Present perfect

I have backed

you have backed

he/she/it has backed

we have backed

you have backed

they have backed

Present perfect continuous

I have been backing

you have been backing

he/she/it has been backing

we have been backing

you have been backing

they have been backing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I backed

you backed

he/she/it backed

we backed

you backed

they backed

Past continuous

I was backing

you were backing

he/she/it was backing

we were backing

you were backing

they were backing

Past perfect

I had backed

you had backed

he/she/it had backed

we had backed

you had backed

they had backed

Past perfect continuous

I had been backing

you had been backing

he/she/it had been backing

we had been backing

you had been backing

they had been backing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will back

you will back

he/she/it will back

we will back

you will back

they will back

Future continuous

I will be backing

you will be backing

he/she/it will be backing

we will be backing

you will be backing

they will be backing

Future perfect

I will have backed

you will have backed

he/she/it will have backed

we will have backed

you will have backed

they will have backed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been backing

you will have been backing

he/she/it will have been backing

we will have been backing

you will have been backing

they will have been backing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would back

you would back

he/she/it would back

we would back

you would back

they would back

Conditional continuous

I would be backing

you would be backing

he/she/it would be backing

we would be backing

you would be backing

they would be backing

Conditional perfect

I would have back

you would have back

he/she/it would have back

we would have back

you would have back

they would have back

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been backing

you would have been backing

he/she/it would have been backing

we would have been backing

you would have been backing

they would have been backing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you back
we let´s back
you back

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to back

Past participle

backed

Present Participle

backing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «BACK»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «back» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of back

abet · accompany · advocate · again · ago · aid · apart · assist · away · back end · backbone · backside · backwards · before · champion · countenance · defend · dorsal · earlier · encourage · end · endorse · espouse · far · favour · finance · flip side · former · help · hind · hindmost · hindquarters · in reverse · out of date · out of the way · overdue · past · posterior · previous · previously · promote · put money on · rear · rearmost · rearwards · reverse · sanction · second · spinal column · spine · sponsor · stand up for · stern · subsidize · support · sustain · tail · tail end · underside · underwrite · verso · vertebrae · vertebral column

TRANSLATION OF BACK

Find out the translation of back to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of back from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «back» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 后面的
• Translator English - Spanish: trasero
• English: back
• Translator English - Hindi: वापस
• Translator English - Arabic: خَلْفِيّ
• Translator English - Russian: задний
• Translator English - Portuguese: traseiro
• Translator English - Bengali: পিছনে
• Translator English - French: arrière
• Translator English - Malay: Belakang
• Translator English - German: rückständig
• Translator English - Japanese: 後ろの
• Translator English - Korean: 뒤의
• Translator English - Javanese: Bali
• Translator English - Vietnamese: ở phía sau
• Translator English - Tamil: மீண்டும்
• Translator English - Marathi: परत
• Translator English - Turkish: geri
• Translator English - Italian: posteriore
• Translator English - Polish: tylny
• Translator English - Ukrainian: задній
• Translator English - Romanian: din spate
• Translator English - Greek: πίσω
• Translator English - Afrikaans: terug
• Translator English - Swedish: bak-
• Translator English - Norwegian: bakre

10 QUOTES WITH «BACK»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word back.

1

Herb Alpert

We always felt that if you do something with quality and integrity, then it's going to come back to you.

2

Alan Arkin

I don't believe there's anything in life you can't go back and fix. The ancient Vedas - the oldest Hindu philosophy - and modern science agree that time is an illusion. If that's true, there's no such thing as a past or a future - it's all one huge now. So what you fix now affects the past and the future.

3

Gemma Arterton

It's such a male-dominated industry. You can be a feminist, it's just difficult because it sometimes comes back at you.

4

Howard Bach

Don Chew is the owner of the Orange County Badminton Club, the location where I train. He played badminton when he was young and always had the passion for it. He never made it at the international level, but he wanted to give back to the sport. The majority of the elite players train at Orange County Badminton Club.

5

Ray Stannard Baker

Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I loved, I did not say so.

6

Mischa Barton

I'm still getting used to changing earrings - It still feels really weird to be pushing bits of metal through holes in my earlobes that weren't there a few weeks back, and actually seeing and feeling the holes in my lobes is still a bit freaky.

7

Emma Bell

I live in L.A. - I love L.A., first off - but I didn't realize how much better the air quality was in Vancouver until I went back to L.A. for a weekend and I literally felt like I was breathing fire.

8

Danny Boyle

That survival instinct, that will to live, that need to get back to life again, is more powerful than any consideration of taste, decency, politeness, manners, civility. Anything. It's such a powerful force.

9

Dee Brown

You just don't give up. There have been times when everything seemed to conspire against getting a book done or printed, and I would feel like turning my back on the whole thing. But I came back and persisted.

10

Anna Chlumsky

There were a lot of signs being thrown at me, a lot of angels I was meeting, inspiring me to get back into show business.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BACK»

Discover the use of back in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to back and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

8 Steps to a Pain-free Back: Natural Posture Solutions for ...

Demonstrates the Gokhale method--a technique for alleviating back pain--using eight steps, and includes illustrations, exercises, and tips on how to deal with issues that might arise while learning each step.

Esther Gokhale, Susan Adams, 2008

Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty ...

Pozner exposes the commercial and political agendas behind the genre, revealing how the shows negatively impact women, people of color, and future generations.

Jennifer Pozner, 2010

Back Rx: A Fifteen-minute-a-day Yoga-and Pilates-based ...

Providing an effective alternative to invasive and painful surgery, this practical self-paced program includes a gentle workout--which combines breathing techniques, self-massage tips, and a range of exercises based on pilates and ancient ...

Vijay Vad, Hilary Hinzmann, 2004

Healing Back Pain Naturally: The Mind-Body Program Proven to ...

A holistic approach to dealing with back pain explains how to use an all-natural program that combines mind-body techniques, specific stretching exercises, breathing techniques, diet and nutrition, and mental pain-coping strategies.

Art Brownstein, 2001

Back to Eden: A Human Interest Story of Health and ...

Fully updated to reflect the nutritional needs of the '80s, this new edition of the classic guide to herbal medicine, natural foods and home remedies underscores the fundamental principle that true healing consists of a return to natural ...

Jethro Kloss, 1989

Back

Jojo's back, released from jail, and people are tense and afraid all over again.

Norah McClintock, 2009

Back

Back is, according to Jeremy Treglown in his introduction, "Henry Green's most extended attempt to plumb the world of the hunted - and haunted".

Henry Green, 2011

51 Ways to Get Your Ex-girlfriend Back: Useful and Practical ...

Free of any sneaky tricks or games, this guide will give you common sense advice about ideas on how to help make things work again. D

Zig Robbins, 2010

Back Care Basics: A Doctor's Gentle Yoga Program for Back ...

Back Care Basics offers the low-cost solution for back care in the new millenium: therapeutic yoga. Dr. Schatz's approach to back rehabilitation is gentle, effective, and without drugs or surgery.

Mary Pullig Schatz, 2013

The Bounce Back Book: How to Thrive in the Face of ...

A dynamic guide to happiness offers creative insights and practical techniques for overcoming the challenges of life, with seventy easy-to-accomplish suggestions for transforming adversity into opportunity and for moving forward in life ...

Karen Salmansohn, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BACK»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term back is used in the context of the following news items.

Auburn VIP 25: Frontrunner at running back lands at No. 5

Auburn offensive lineman Robert Leff and Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway block for Auburn running back Jovon Robinson during the first ... «AL.com, Jul 15»

How to get the home button back in Edge

But if you're the type who likes a quick, one-touch way to get back to your homepage, the lack of a home button might be a little disconcerting. «CNET, Jul 15»

Manu Ginobili announces he's coming back, as Spurs' strong …

As is the case with fellow future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, who announced last week that he'll be back next season, the specifics of Manu's ... «Yahoo Sports, Jul 15»

New Horizons spacecraft back to normal after suffering terrifying …

After a couple hours of analysis and troubleshooting, mission researchers reported that they identified the issue, and the spacecraft is back to ... «The Verge, Jul 15»

Simon Danczuk steps back from campaigning against child abuse

The Labour MP who helped expose the late Liberal MP Cyril Smith as a paedophile is to step back from campaigning against child sexual ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»

Syria Regime Hits Back at Rebels

BEIRUT—Syrian government forces and their allied Lebanese militia Hezbollah hit back at rebels around the capital Damascus on Monday, ... «Wall Street Journal, Jul 15»

England 'can go back to being mothers, partners and daughters …

England women's team pose with their bronze medals after their arrival from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on Monday morning. «The Guardian, Jul 15»

How Back To The Future made incest family-friendly

When Back to the Future came out 25 years ago, I was too young to see it in theaters. But once I reached video-rental age I kept it—along with ... «National Post, Jul 15»

How Motor City Came Back From the Brink…and Left Most …

When I visited last year, I tried to peel back the layers of grievance, recrimination, and dysfunction I'd noticed in the way many Detroiters talked ... «Mother Jones, Jul 15»

Minnesotan who conspired to aid IS group to stay in custody after …

Yusuf was sent back into custody in April for violating halfway house rules, but the alleged violation wasn't disclosed until Monday. Davis' order ... «Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jul 15»