back

The word “back” means the rear surface of the human or animal body, from the shoulders to the hips. In plain terms, the rear part of the body or an object; also, to support something, or to move in reverse.

“Back” is pronounced bak (/bæk/ in IPA).

Here is “back” used in a sentence: “He threw his back out lifting the sofa.”

The opposite of “back” — its antonyms — are front, current, main and veer.

Depending on how it is used, “back” can be a noun, an adjective, an adverb and a verb.

The word “back” comes from Old English. From Old English bæc, of ancient Germanic origin, ultimately possibly related to a root meaning "to bend.".

“Back” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Back” has 6 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the rear surface of the human or animal body, from the shoulders to the hips.

The back is the whole rear surface of the body, running from the shoulders down to the hips. The spine, or backbone, is the column of small bones inside the back that supports it. The spine is a structure within the back; the back is the broader region.

The back is often divided into the upper back around the shoulders and shoulder blades, the middle back, and the lower back, or lumbar region, above the hips. These areas are commonly referred to separately when describing posture, pain, or exercise.

The front is the opposite of the back. On the human body, the back is the rear surface from shoulders to hips, while the front includes the chest and stomach. In anatomy the back is sometimes called the dorsal side and the front the ventral side.

'He hurt his back lifting a heavy box.' Here back names the rear part of the body between the shoulders and hips. Other examples include 'She lay on her back' and 'The child rode on his father's back,' all referring to that body region.