[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/back.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / back [← B](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/B/) # back «back» in Mova's school dictionary: **the part that is last or farthest from the front: the…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it. ### part of speech noun (the back, backs); adverb; adjective; verb (back, backs, backed, backing) ### meaning for a pupil 1) The back is the part that is last or farthest from the front: the back of the line. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#m1) 2) Your back is the part of your body from your neck to your bottom. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#m2) 3) Back as an adverb means to where someone or something was before: «come back», «give it back». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#m3) 4) To back someone is to help or support them; to back up is to move backwards. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#m4) 5) Back means earlier in time: «three years back», «back then». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#m5) 6) In football and rugby a back is a player near your own goal. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#m6) 7) (casual) «Got your back» means I'll protect you; «back in a sec» means I'll return soon. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#m7) 8) (rude) «Back off!», «get off my back!» mean stop bothering me; «talk behind someone's back» is gossip they do not hear. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#m8) 9) (formal) Exams say «return», «reimburse», «refund», «the rear» and «previously». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#m9) ### sense in the lessons the end of a line; also returning: «gives N back» moves N back to the one who had them; phrases: «the back of», «at the back», «come back», «give back», «back up», «back and forth», «pay back», «money back»; in casual talk «got ya back», «back in 5», «way back»; in rough talk «back off», «give it back or else», «get off my back»; in the exam voice «returned», «reimbursed», «refunded», «from the rear», «previously» ### examples - Anna is the 6th from the front and the 11th from the back. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x1) - Tom stands at the back of the line. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x2) - Sam gave 2 cards back to Ben. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x3) - Write your name on the back of the page. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x4) - Lie on your back and look at the stars. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x5) - Come back before it gets dark. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x6) - Dad backed the car out of the garage. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x7) - back in 5 mins, save me a seat [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x8) - Give it back or else, that's my 10 bucks! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x9) - She talks about everyone behind their back. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x10) - A refund of 4 dollars is subsequently remitted to the purchaser. Determine the net expenditure. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x11) - Count the 4th seat from the rear of the bus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x12) - He went back to his work. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/#x13) ### note «the Mth from the back» counts from the end of the line. «gives N back» moves N back to the one who had them. «refund», «reimburse», «return» in an exam give money or things back: the payer's cost goes down. «back in 5» means 5 minutes, a time. Trap: «back» as a body part has no number meaning. ### In the corpora - [A debit card spends money already in the account; a credit card borrows money that must be paid back later.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/7-cards-banks-and-apps/2/) - [A debit card spends money already in the account; a credit card borrows money from the card company to be paid back later.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/7-cards-banks-and-apps/11/) - [Borrowing always has a price called interest, so the total paid back is more than the price tag.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/8-borrowing-and-debt/2/) - [Debt advice charities give free, private help to make a plan for paying debts back at a pace the family can manage.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/8-borrowing-and-debt/21/) - [Renters sign a tenancy and pay a deposit that comes back if the home is left in good condition.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/10-moving-house-and-renting-a-home/3/) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every meaning and example of «back» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/back/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.