Back (Adverb)
Meaning 1
At or to or toward the back or rear; "he moved back"; "tripped when he stepped backward"; "she looked rearward out the window of the car".
Examples
- She slowly stepped back and tripped on the uneven pavement.
- The child looked rearward out the window of the car as it drove away.
- The bus reversed and then moved back into its original position.
- When she felt uncomfortable, she quietly slipped back into the crowd.
- The teacher told the student to move back a little so the others could see.
Synonyms
Meaning 2
In or to or toward an original condition; "he went back to sleep".
Examples
- The doctor put the bone back in place after the surgery.
- She went back to her hometown for the holidays.
- The store will put the item back on sale next week.
- The manager put the employee back on the payroll.
- The teacher put the student back on track with extra tutoring.
Meaning 3
In or to or toward a former location; "she went back to her parents' house".
Examples
- She went back to her parents' house after college.
- The family returned back to their hometown for the holidays.
- He walked back to the store to return the defective item.
- The kids ran back to their mother when they heard the thunder.
- She drove back to the city after spending the weekend in the countryside.
Meaning 4
In reply; "he wrote back three days later".
Examples
- She called back within minutes to apologize for the misunderstanding.
- They texted back hours after he had sent the invitation.
- She finally spoke back to him after months of silence.
- The boss responded back a day after submitting the application.
- The lawyer phoned back within 10 minutes as promised.
Meaning 5
In repayment or retaliation; "we paid back everything we had borrowed"; "he hit me and I hit him back"; "I was kept in after school for talking back to the teacher".
Examples
- The company will pay back the investors as soon as possible.
- If you push me, I'll push you back.
- I stood up to the bully and talked back.
- They repaid the loan and even paid back interest.
- He hit me and I hit him back.
Meaning 6
In or to or toward a past time; "set the clocks back an hour"; "never look back"; "lovers of the past looking fondly backward".
Examples
- We need to set our clocks back an hour for daylight saving time.
- Looking back on my childhood, I have many fond memories.
- She never looked back after making the difficult decision to leave her hometown.
- The company is moving forward, but it's also looking back to learn from past mistakes.
- Historians often look back at past events to understand their significance in the present.