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   /bak/

   noun

   • 1. the rear surface of the human body from the shoulders to the hips: "he lay on his back"
   • ▪ the upper surface of an animal's body that corresponds to a person's back: "the adults have white bodies with grey backs"
   • ▪ the spine of a person or animal. Similar spinebackbonespinal columnvertebral columntechnical:dorsumrachis
   • ▪ the main structure of a ship's hull or an aircraft's fuselage: "Demetrius broke its back on the rocks in a force 11 gale"
   • ▪ the part of a chair against which the sitter's back rests.
   • ▪ the part of a garment that covers a person's back: "a top with a scooped neckline and a low back"
   • ▪ a person's back regarded as carrying a load or bearing an imposition: "the Press are on my back"
   • 2. the side or part of something that is away from the spectator or from the direction in which it moves or faces; the rear: "at the back of the hotel is a secluded garden" Similar rearrear sideother sidesternendtail endrear endtailfar endtag endOpposite frontfronthead
   • ▪ the position directly behind someone or something: "she unbuttoned her dress from the back"
   • ▪ the side or part of an object that is not normally seen or used: "the back of a postcard" Similar reversereverse sideother sideundersideversoinformal:flip sideOpposite frontface
   • 3. a player in a team game who plays in a defensive position behind the forwards: "their backs showed some impressive running and passing"
   • 4. the grounds of Cambridge colleges which back on to the River Cam.

   adverb

   • 1. in the opposite direction from the one that one is facing or travelling towards: "he moved back a pace" Similar backwardsbehind oneto one's rearrearwardsawayoffOpposite forward
   • ▪ expressing movement of the body into a reclining position: "he leaned back in his chair"
   • ▪ at a distance away: "keep back from the roadside" Similar awayat a distance
   • ▪ behind: informal North American "he knew that other people were back of him"
   • ▪ losing by a specified margin: informal North American "the team was five points back"
   • 2. so as to return to an earlier or normal position or condition: "she put the book back on the shelf"
   • ▪ at a place previously left or mentioned: "the folks back home are counting on him"
   • ▪ fashionable again: "sideburns are back"
   • 3. in or into the past: "he made his fortune back in 1955"
   • 4. in return: "they wrote back to me"

   verb

   • 1. give financial, material, or moral support to: "he had a newspaper empire backing him" Similar sponsorfinanceput up the money forfundsubsidizeunderwritepromotelend one's name tobe a patron ofact as guarantor ofsupportinformal:foot the bill forpick up the tab forbankrollstakesupportendorsesanctionapprove ofgive one's blessing tosmile onfavouradvocatepromoteupholdchampionvote forally oneself withstand behindside withbe on the side ofdefendtake up the cudgels forsecondinformal:throw one's weight behindOpposite oppose
   • ▪ supplement in order to strengthen: "the government troops were backed by paramilitary forces"
   • ▪ be in favour of: "over 97 per cent backed the changes"
   • ▪ (in popular music) provide musical accompaniment to (a singer or musician): "on his new album he is backed by an American group"
   • ▪ bet money on (a person or animal) winning a race or contest: "he backed the horse at 33–1" Similar bet onplace a bet ongamble onstake money on
   • 2. walk or drive backwards: "I put the car in reverse and backed down the road" Similar reversemove/drive backwardsbacktrackretrace one's stepsOpposite move forwardsadvance
   • ▪ cause to move backwards: "he backed the Mercedes into the yard"
   • ▪ (of the wind) change direction anticlockwise around the points of the compass: "the wind had backed to the north-west"
   • ▪ put (a sail) aback in order to slow the vessel down or assist in turning through the wind.
   • 3. cover the back of (an article) in order to support, protect, or decorate it: "a mirror backed with tortoiseshell"
   • 4. lie behind or at the back of: "the promenade is backed by lots of cafes"
   • ▪ put a piece of music on the less important side of (a vinyl recording): "the new single is backed with a track from the LP"

   adjective

   • 1. of or at the back of something: "the back garden" Similar rearendhindhindmostrearmostdorsalposteriorOpposite frontfrontfront
   • ▪ in a remote or subsidiary position: "back roads"
   • 2. from or relating to the past: "she was owed back pay" Similar pastoldpreviousearlierformerout of dateOpposite future
   • 3. directed towards the rear or in a reversed course: "a back header"
   • 4. (of a sound) articulated at the back of the mouth: "a long back vowel, as in 'dance' or 'bath'"

   Word Origin Old Englishbæc, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch and Old Norse bak. The adverb use dates from late Middle English and is a shortening of aback.

   Scrabble Points: 12

   • B

     3

   • A

     1

   • C

     3

   • K

     5

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