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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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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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
Analysts are broadly bullish on Meta going into these earnings, following the release of AI agent Muse back in September. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 Bellorado-Samuels’s home doesn’t disappear behind her collection but pushes back, amplifies, complicates, and occasionally inconveniences it. — Sean Santiago, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
Michael Turner paced the running backs with 40 yards on nine attempts. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026 Christian McCaffrey already has seven touchdowns on the ground and continues to chew up yardage as one of the most versatile backs in the league. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Verb
And some consumers are actively avoiding places that are private equity backed – expecting high prices, low quality, and an unsettling sameness to the food. — Brittany Luse, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026 Schmidt hasn’t made up his mind about backing Van Orden or Cooke. — Dan Simmons, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
Adjective
Incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had avoided debating challenger Flávio Bolsonaro — the son of a former president jailed for staging a coup — but the rightist’s first-round victory put the president on the back foot. — semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Tucked in a slit in the back cover is a Cabello’s receipt for six rifles, ten smoke grenades, two hunting knives, a hundred zip ties, three KitKats. — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 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
  • The plague bacterium appears to have emerged as a human pathogen more than 5,700 years ago, evolving from a soil bacterium called Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, says Hendrick Poinar, a biologist at McMaster University, who works with ancient DNA.
    — Faye Flam, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Only two decades ago, my family looked West for a treatment for my grandmother that was unavailable in China.
    — Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of ago
Adverb
  • The venue this time around was an equally airy, heavenly, pale-toned 19th-century apartment in Paris’s ninth arrondissement, a bread roll’s throw away from the original Rose Bakery.
    — Mark Holgate, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Unlike the initial push to spread money around to bet on would-be AI winners, there is not enough to go around at this stage.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of around
Adverb
  • With five planets currently moving backward, Mercury and Venus hit closest to home.
    — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Nearby, participants can also rappel backward down a 60-foot wall.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of backward
Noun
  • The doors open sideways to three seats in the rear row and the front passenger seat.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
  • When officers arrived at the home, Love was sitting on the back patio, and as police were talking to her relative, Love suddenly stood up and approached the rear sliding door of the home with two large knives.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of rear
Noun
  • Dating back to her chemistry read with Centineo, Liang suggested slapping Ken, and her co-star encouraged her to truly go for the jugular.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Becerra goes for the jugular against Hilton by invoking Huntington Beach!
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of jugular
Verb
  • Both opposed ending the Gaza war, both are advocating for Israeli settlements in Gaza, and both envision full annexation of and Jewish control over the West Bank.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The groups actively advocated for a bill that pushing for greater transparency on the implementation of campus protest rules at California’s public universities.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of advocate
Verb
  • Some people are eating cottage cheese for its calcium content, saying the food will aid strong bones and teeth.
    — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Your social networks, not just your professional ones, can also aid in your job search, Bonnie Dilber, a recruiting leader at the software company Zapier, previously told CNBC Make It.
    — Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of aid
Verb
  • Mental health experts have voiced concerns about chatbots’ sycophancy, lack of clinical nuance, and ability to reinforce delusional beliefs.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Kim Yo Jong, widely viewed as the second most powerful official in Pyongyang, made the statement after visiting frontline areas where soldiers are reinforcing the border.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about back

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