I. PREPOSITION AND ADVERB USES
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
Note: In addition to the uses shown below, '~' is also used in a few phrasal verbs, such as ‘fall ~’ and ‘lie ~’.
Please look at category 14 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1.
If something is ~ a thing or person, it is on the other side of them from you, or nearer their back rather than their front.
I put one of the cushions ~ his head...
They were parked ~ the truck...
PREP
•
Behind is also an adverb.
Rising into the hills ~ are 800 acres of parkland...
She was attacked from ~.
ADV: usu n ADV, from ADV
2.
If you are walking or travelling ~ someone or something, you are following them.
Keith wandered along ~ him...
Myra and Sam and the children were driving ~ them.
PREP
•
Behind is also an adverb.
The troopers followed ~, every muscle tensed for the sudden gunfire.
ADV: ADV after v
3.
If someone is ~ a desk, counter, or bar, they are on the other side of it from where you are.
The colonel was sitting ~ a cheap wooden desk...
He could just about see the little man ~ the counter.
PREP
4.
When you shut a door or gate ~ you, you shut it after you have gone through it.
I walked out and closed the door ~ me...
He slammed the gate shut ~ him.
PREP: PREP pron
5.
The people, reason, or events ~ a situation are the causes of it or are responsible for it.
It is still not clear who was ~ the killing...
He is embarrassed about the motives ~ his decision.
PREP
6.
If something or someone is ~ you, they support you and help you.
He had the state’s judicial power ~ him.
PREP: PREP pron
7.
If you refer to what is ~ someone’s outside appearance, you are referring to a characteristic which you cannot immediately see or is not obvious, but which you think is there.
What lay ~ his anger was really the hurt he felt at Grace’s refusal...
PREP
8.
If you are ~ someone, you are less successful than them, or have done less or advanced less.
Food production has already fallen ~ the population growth.
? ahead of
PREP
•
Behind is also an adverb.
The rapid development of technology means that she is now far ~, and will need retraining...
ADV: be ADV, ADV after v
9.
If an experience is ~ you, it happened in your past and will not happen again, or no longer affects you.
Maureen put the nightmare ~ her...
PREP: PREP pron
10.
If you have a particular achievement ~ you, you have managed to reach this achievement, and other people consider it to be important or valuable.
He has 20 years of loyal service to Barclays Bank ~ him...
PREP: have/with n PREP pron
11.
If something is ~ schedule, it is not as far advanced as people had planned. If someone is ~ schedule, they are not progressing as quickly at something as they had planned.
The work is 22 weeks ~ schedule...
? ahead of
PREP: oft n PREP n
12.
If you stay ~, you remain in a place after other people have gone.
About 1,200 personnel will remain ~ to take care of the air base.
ADV: ADV after v
13.
If you leave something or someone ~, you do not take them with you when you go.
The rebels fled into the mountains, leaving ~ their weapons and supplies...
ADV: ADV after v
14.
to do something ~ someone’s back: see back
~ bars: see bar
~ the scenes: see scene
~ the times: see time
II. NOUN USE
(~s)
Your ~ is the part of your body that you sit on.
= bottom
N-COUNT