ADJ
- broad
- lean, slender
- muscled, muscular, powerful, strong
- bent
- erect, straight
- lower, upper
- bad, stiff
- He's off work with a bad back
VERB + BACK
- bend, stiffen, straighten
- stretch
- He yawned and stretched his back as he got out of bed
- break, hurt, injure
- arch
- The cat arched its back and hissed at the dog
- support
- knead, massage
- scratch
BACK + VERB
- arch
- stiffen
- His back stiffened as he saw the photographers waiting
- ache
BACK + NOUN
- injury, pain, trouble
- muscles
- support
- a seat with good back support
PREP
- behind your ~
- They blindfolded him and tied his hands behind his back
- (figurative)
- People say bad things about him behind his back, but never to his face
- flat on your ~
- I was flat on my back for six weeks when I broke my leg
- on your ~
- He was carrying a small child on his back. She was lying on her back on the sofa
- in the/your ~
- I've got a nagging pain in my lower back
- ~ to
- He was standing with his back to the fire
PHRASES
- sb's back is turned (figurative)
- The boss was certain that the staff would stop working as soon as his back was turned
- back to back
- The children sat back to back so they couldn't see each others' drawings
- a pat/slap on the back
- He smiled and gave me a hearty slap on the back
- (figurative)
- She deserves a pat on the back for her efforts
- the small of your back
- She felt a sharp pain in the small (= the lowest part of) her back
- turn your back (on sb/sth)
- Actors should never turn their backs on the audience
- (figurative)
- She decided to turn her back on Paris and return to her home town
PREP
- around/round the ~
- If you'd like to come round the back (= to the area behind the house) , I'll show you the garden
- at the ~
- We could only get seats at the back
- down the ~
- My money's all fallen down the back of the cushion
- in the ~
- Two passengers sat in the back of the car
- to the ~
- The man was refusing to go to the back of the queue
- towards the ~
- The arts page is usually towards the back of the newspaper
PHRASES
- back to front
- I had my pullover on back to front (= with the back where the front should be)
ADV
- hastily, hurriedly
- She backed away hurriedly
- away, in, off, up
- If you can't drive in forwards, try backing it in. Back off! There's no need to yell at me. Can you back your car up so that I can get through?
VERB + BACK
- try to
- He tried to back away
PREP
- across
- She backed across the room
- away from
- The children backed away from him in fear
- into
- She backed into the garage
- out of
- He backed out of the drive
ADV
- firmly, strongly
- Teachers are strongly backing the new educational policies
- fully
- overwhelmingly
- unanimously
- openly, publicly
- financially
- his election bid was financially backed by a soft drinks company
- up
- I'll back you up if they don't believe you
- PHRASAL VERBS back down
VERB + BACK
- refuse to
- be forced to, be obliged to
PREP
- from
- The government was forced to back down from implementing these proposals
- on
- She refused to back down on a point of principle
- over
- The committee finally backed down over the issue of spending cuts