n.
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1548
1 a : to support by material or moral assistance ― often used with up b : SUBSTANTIATE c : to assume financial responsibility for d : to provide musical accompaniment for ― often used with up
2 a : to cause to go back or in reverse b : to articulate (a sound) with the tongue farther back
3 a : to furnish with a back b : to be at the back of
intransitive verb
1 : to move backward ― often used with up
2 of the wind : to shift counterclockwise ― compare VEER
3 : to have the back in the direction of something
synonyms see SUPPORT , RECEDE
– back · er \ ' ba-k ə r \ noun
– back and fill
1 : to manage the sails of a ship so as to keep it clear of obstructions as it floats down with the current of a river or channel
2 : to take opposite positions alternately : SHILLY-SHALLY
– back into : to get into inadvertently < backed into the antiques business>