back 1 of 4

adverb

Definition of backnext
1
as in ago
earlier than the present time that's longer back than I can remember

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in around
toward the opposite direction turned back for one last comment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in backward
toward the rear concert security asked the crowd to move back

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

back

2 of 4

noun

ˈbak How to pronounce back (audio)
1
as in rear
a behind part or surface the back of the page was blank

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jugular
a vulnerable point a candidate needing a loyal aide who can be relied upon to always watch his back

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back

3 of 4

verb

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

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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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

back

4 of 4

adjective

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word back different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of back are advocate, champion, support, and uphold. While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

refusing to back the call for sanctions

When can advocate be used instead of back?

While the synonyms advocate and back are close in meaning, advocate stresses urging or pleading.

advocated prison reform

Where would champion be a reasonable alternative to back?

The words champion and back are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

championed the rights of children

When might support be a better fit than back?

In some situations, the words support and back are roughly equivalent. However, support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

supports waterfront development

When is it sensible to use uphold instead of back?

The words uphold and back can be used in similar contexts, but uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

upheld the legitimacy of the military action

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of back
Adverb
That was the lowest in the financial research firm’s records, which go all the way back to 2004, and also just under the prior record low of 302 buyers in the third quarter of 2024. — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026 The high-stick caused Marchand to twist around and collide with the right post before his left leg bent back in an awkward way. — CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
Cleveland has multiple running backs, led by Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 Then came Friday's modest bounce-back rally, which proved to be enough to keep stocks in the green for the week. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
True Food Kitchen, a healthy-dining concept once backed by Oprah Winfrey, has permanently closed at The Falls in Kendall. — Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026 Recently my company transitioned from being almost fully remote to having a back-in-office policy four days a week. — Emma Laperruque, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
Adjective
These shabby little movie houses, tucked away in the back alleys of Shinjuku, smelled of urine and stale tobacco. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Hawkins remembers summer evenings when Ford would sit on his back porch playing saxophone or open the windows of his home and let the music carry through the neighborhood. — Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back
  1. ago
  2. around
  3. backward
  4. rear
  5. jugular
  6. advocate
  7. aid
  8. reinforce
Adverb
  • Amid the flames and destruction, Ryzhenkov says that this period of the war is as tough as anything the company has seen since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.
    — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Eight years ago, Mann started his business in the living room of his apartment and was shooting on iPhones.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of ago
Adverb
  • For reference, an extrait’s concentration is usually around 20 to 30 percent.
    — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said today that a gas pipeline is being converted to carry crude as well and could move around 1 million barrels a day within eight weeks, rising to 3 million with further investment.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of around
Adverb
  • And then, largely as a byproduct of the scaremongering around the AIDS crisis, there was a sense of things going backwards.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Barkley delivered a nasty spin move that left him slightly sideways, forcing him to jump and then leapfrog backward.
    — Mark Long, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of backward
Noun
  • The standout among the entertaining spaces is the baby-blue kitchen, which extends from the rear of the home into a rounded turret overlooking a ravine.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Suspension is taken care of by 43-mm upside-down forks with adjustable rebound and compression damping, and an adjustable central spring strut at the rear.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of rear
Noun
  • Becerra goes for the jugular against Hilton by invoking Huntington Beach!
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Even Rodrigo, the almost too-good student who should make a mess someday, went total sprite, toying with everyone’s jugular.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of jugular
Verb
  • El Sayed argued that the technology needed federal oversight, while Rogers advocated local oversight but defended the use of some surveillance processes in identifying people suspected of terrorism.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Kubrick, who had always had misgivings about the scene but kept it in after his daughter Vivian advocated for it, decided to remove the epilogue after the first few days of exhibition.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of advocate
Verb
  • Wearable sensors could aid therapy The researchers envision garments that let users control video game characters or operate robots remotely.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Lawyers for victims’ relatives claim that a group of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia aided the hijackers.
    — Tom Winter, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of aid
Verb
  • The experience reinforced her belief that Vancouver has plenty of animation talent, but still needs more infrastructure for independent creators.
    — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Its amino-acid complex helps smooth and strengthen strands from the inside out, while amaranth extract reinforces fragile hair and baobab extract helps improve elasticity and bounce.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of reinforce

Phrases Containing back

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baches
back
backache
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Cite this Entry

“Back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about back

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