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as in backward
toward the rear
concert security asked the crowd to move back
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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2
as in jugular
a vulnerable point
a candidate needing a loyal aide who can be relied upon to always watch his back
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to advocate
to promote the interests or cause of
she enthusiastically backed the plan to renovate and upgrade the school's facilities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to aid
to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end
a number of influential people have already agreed to back the candidate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to reinforce
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea)
the author needs to back her thesis with more facts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hind
being at or in the part of something opposite the front part
she carried all the presents in the back door, as the children were playing in the front yard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of back
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
In a statement, a White House official pushed back on Weiser’s characterization.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
Sabienna Bowman, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
The back and sides of the housing are now anti-slip, to prevent sweaty hands losing purchase during a quick tune up at the venue.
—New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Trump on late Thursday called for the purchase of $200 billion in mortgage bonds, similar to how the Fed in the past has bought bonds backed by mortgages to bring down mortgage rates.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 7 Jan. 2026
Susan says the items in the front of the oven would get undercooked and the back items would burn.
—Cheryl Fiandaca, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back
Adverb
Polk said the astronaut is stable but that diagnostic uncertainty in microgravity prompted NASA to err on the side of bringing the crew member back to Earth.
—Noun
That doesn't mean there's nothing exciting coming Buck's way in the back half of season 9.
—Verb
Political gamesmanship This week, council members were accused of trying to replace their current coordinator, Laurent Saint-Cyr, who did not back attempts to get rid of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé.
—Adjective
With the back strap pushed forward in relaxed mode (versus sport mode when the strap is in back), Jeanty exuded a laidback aura.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for back
Adverb
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But a few weeks ago, one resident decided to look past the spectacle.—
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Some of the biggest galaxies in the universe stopped making stars billions of years ago, and even today, no one fully understands why.—
Adverb
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How to create opportunities for himself, say, or how much to carry the puck without Marner there lugging it around — little things like that.—
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Gavilan is from Buffalo, Minnesota, about an hour outside of Minneapolis, and around seven and a half hours away from Lawrence.—
Adverb
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Suarez, who watched the game from the stands, was suspended for an incident involving Nashville defender Andy Najar in Game 2 of the series when Suarez kicked his right leg backwards into Najar’s midsection.—
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Now, industry eyerolling at the thought of listening faster has existed since the majority of audio storytelling moved from terrestrial radio—where there’s no skipping, scrubbing forward or backward, and certainly no way to speed things up—to podcasting.—
Noun
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There are also dual Akrapvoic exhausts poking out the rear, framed by slim taillights.—
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Authorities added that Roman rushed to the rear of the burning ATV and helped get a 6-year-old out — later identified as a family friend — who was having trouble opening the door.—
Noun
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The actress manages to pull this off with subtlety and grace in a movie that could have easily gone straight for the emotional jugular.—
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Two months before Twilight kicked off the glittery vampire craze, Alan Ball’s True Blood had already put an original, sexy spin on the jugular-draining genre.—
Verb
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Local residents have advocated for a more permanent solution to the violent elephant encounters, and for the families of the deceased to be compensated.—
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The Department of Angels is a nonprofit organization that advocates for wildfire survivors.—
Verb
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The album’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across six vinyl variants (including one signed), four CD variants (one signed) and a standard digital download album (all with the same tracklist).—
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Spirits Spirits are disembodied beings who are occasionally called upon to aid specific humans (usually witches), but can sometimes become harmful.—
Verb
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The trend, the study says, is likely to reinforce the advantages of platforms with scale, deep libraries and diversified monetization.—
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Both are decorated with vintage features reminiscent of 20th-century classrooms, reinforcing the theme of celebrating Olde Town Arvada’s rich history.—
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Cite this Entry
“Back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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