TOP

Definition of back adverb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

back

adverb
 
 
/bæk/
 
/bæk/
For the special uses of back in phrasal verbs, look at the entries for the verbs. For example pay somebody back is in the phrasal verb section at pay.Idioms
jump to other results

    as before

  1.  
     to or into the place, condition, situation or activity where somebody/something was before
    • When is he coming back to work?
    • He'll be back on Monday.
    • Don't forget to bring it back when you've finished with it.
    • Please give me my ball back.
    • Put the book back on the shelf.
    • Could you go back to the beginning of the story?
    • She woke up briefly and then went back to sleep.
    • I can't wait to get back home.
    • It takes me an hour to walk there and back.
    • We were right back where we started, only this time without any money.
    • It's good to have the whole family back together again.
    2.

    away from front

  2.  
     away from the front or centre; behind you
    • I moved back to let them pass.
    • Sit back and relax.
    • You've combed your hair back.
    • He turned and looked back.
    • She fell back towards the end of the race.
    opposite forward

    3. at a previous place

  3.  
     at a place previously left or mentioned
    • We should have turned left five kilometres back.
    • Back at home, her parents were worried.
    4.

    in return

  4.  
     in return or reply
    • She's a tough kid, who, when attacked, fights back hard.
    • If he hits me, I'll hit him back.
    • Could you call back later, please?
    5.

    at a distance

  5.  
     at a distance away from something
    • The barriers kept the crowd back.
    • Stand back and give me some room.
    6.

    in past

  6.  
     in or into the past; ago
    • The cathedral dates back to 1123.
    • The village has a history going back to the Middle Ages.
    • She left back in November.
    • That was a few years back.
    7.

    under control

  7.  
     under control; prevented from being expressed or coming out
    • He could no longer hold back his tears.
    8.

    fashionable again

  8. fashionable again
    • Beards are back.
    • I wonder if flares will ever come back in?
    9. Word OriginOld English bæc, 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.
Idioms
back and forth
  1. from one place to another and back again repeatedly
    • ferries sailing back and forth between the islands
back in the day
  1. in the past
    • My dad's always talking about how great everything was back in the day.
back in the days
  1. at a particular time in the past
    • I was a fan back in the days when the band wasn't yet famous.
back of something
  1. (North American English, informal) behind something
    • the houses back of the church
back to square one
  1. a return to the situation you were in at the beginning of a project, task, etc., because you have made no real progress
    • If this suggestion isn't accepted, we'll be back to square one.
come back/down to earth (with a bang/bump) | bring somebody (back) down to earth (with a bang/bump)
  1. (informal) to return, or to make somebody return, to a normal way of thinking or behaving after a time when you/they have been very excited, not very practical, etc. see also down to earth
See back in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee back in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: back

Nearby words

halfway
adverb
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 5000
C1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day