| back burner |
a state of temporary low priority (usu. prec. by "on the"). |
| backcheck |
in hockey, to check (an opposing player) in the vicinity of one's own goal. (Cf. forecheck.) |
| backcourt |
in basketball, the half of the court that a team is defending. (Cf. forecourt.) [3 definitions] |
| backdate |
to mark with a date that is prior to the actual date; predate. |
| backdoor |
done in secret; surreptitious. |
| backdrop |
a curtain at the rear of a stage setting, upon which are painted elements of the setting such as windows, furniture, the sky, or the like. [2 definitions] |
| backed |
having a back or support (often used in combination). |
| backer |
someone who supports or gives time or money to a business, a cause, or the like. |
| backfield |
in football, those offensive players whose position is behind the line, or those defensive players whose position is behind the linebackers. [2 definitions] |
| backfill |
to refill with what was previously removed. [2 definitions] |
| backfire |
to emit a loud noise as the result of inefficient functioning of the engine of a car or other internal-combustion vehicle. [4 definitions] |
| back formation |
in linguistics, a word that appears to be the base of, but was actually formed from, another word, as "trivia" from "trivial". |
| backgammon |
a board game in which each of two opponents throws dice and tries to move several pieces clockwise around and eventually off the board. |
| background |
a part located in the rear, esp. as depicted in a painting, photograph, or scene. (Cf. foreground.) [5 definitions] |
| backhand |
a forward movement made with the back of the hand outward, as in a slap or a stroke with a tennis racket. [5 definitions] |
| backhanded |
in the manner of a backhand. [3 definitions] |
| backhoe |
an excavating vehicle with a large metal bucket that is drawn toward the vehicle in a digging motion. |
| backing |
help or support, esp. financial support. [3 definitions] |
| backlash |
an abrupt and sometimes violent motion or movement backward. [3 definitions] |
| backlist |
a publisher's list of all in-house books that have been kept in print for a relatively long period of time. [2 definitions] |
| backlit |
illuminated from behind. |