Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

15 ADV [ADV after v] If you think back to something that happened in the past, you remember it or try to remember it. □ [+ to ] I thought back to the time in 1975 when my son was desperately ill.

16 PHRASE If someone moves back and forth , they repeatedly move in one direction and then in the opposite direction. □  He paced back and forth.

17to cast your mind back → see mind ➊

➋ back ◆◆◆ /bæ k/ (backs )

→ Please look at categories 22 to 24 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.

1 N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] A person's or animal's back is the part of their body between their head and their legs that is on the opposite side to their chest and stomach. □  She turned her back to the audience. □  Three of the victims were shot in the back.

2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The back of something is the side or part of it that is towards the rear or farthest from the front. The back of something is normally not used or seen as much as the front. □ [+ of ] …a room at the back of the shop. □ [+ of ] She raised her hands to the back of her neck. □ [+ of ] Smooth the mixture with the back of a soup spoon.

3 ADJ [ADJ n] Back is used to refer to the side or part of something that is towards the rear or farthest from the front. □  He opened the back door. □  Ann could remember sitting in the back seat of their car. □  …the path leading to the back garden.

4 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The back of a chair or sofa is the part that you lean against when you sit on it. □ [+ of ] There was a neatly folded pink sweater on the back of the chair.

5 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The back of something such as a piece of paper or an envelope is the side which is less important. □ [+ of ] He scribbled some notes on the back of the envelope.

6 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The back of a book is the part nearest the end, where you can find the index or the notes, for example. □ [+ of ] …the index at the back of the book.

7 N‑SING You can use back in expressions such as round the back and out the back to refer generally to the area behind a house or other building. [BRIT , SPOKEN ] □  He had chickens and things round the back.

8 N‑UNCOUNT You use back in expressions such as out back to refer to the area behind a house or other building. You also use in back to refer to the rear part of something, especially a car or building. [AM ] □  Dan informed her that he would be out back on the patio cleaning his shoes. □  Catlett got behind the wheel and I sat in back. [Also + of ]

9 N‑COUNT In team games such as football and hockey, a back is a player who is concerned mainly with preventing the other team from scoring goals, rather than scoring goals for their own team.

10 N‑COUNT In American football, a back is a player who stands behind the front line, runs with the ball and attacks rather than defends.

11 PHRASE If you say that something was done behind someone's back , you disapprove of it because it was done without them knowing about it, in an unfair or dishonest way. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  You eat her food, enjoy her hospitality and then criticize her behind her back.

12 PHRASE If you break the back of a task or problem, you do the most difficult part of what is necessary to complete the task or solve the problem. □  It seems at least that we've broken the back of inflation in this country.

13 PHRASE If two or more things are done back to back , one follows immediately after the other without any interruption. □  …two half-hour shows, which will be screened back to back.