7 English Phrasal Verbs With 'BACK'

• Phrasal Verb List
• Exercises
• Search

What's covered on this page

7 phrasal verbs with 'BACK'

Back away

1. Retreat or go backwards
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: The crowd BACKED AWAY when the man pulled a knife.

Back down

1. Retract or withdraw your position or proposal in an argument
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: She refused to BACK DOWN and was fired.

Back into

1. Enter a parking area in reverse gear
   (Separable [obligatory] | International English)
   
   » Example: He prefers to BACK his car INTO the garage.

Back off

1. Retreat
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: The police told the protesters to BACK OFF.

Back out

1. Fail to keep an arrangement or promise
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: He BACKED OUT two days before the holiday so we gave the ticket to his sister

Back out of

1. Fail to keep an agreement, arrangement
   (Inseparable | International English)
   
   » Example: She BACKED OUT OF the agreement at the last minute.
2. Exit a parking area in reverse gear
   ( | International English)
   
   » Example: She BACKED the Rolls OUT OF its parking space.

Back up

1. Make a copy of computer data
   (Separable [optional] | International English)
   
   » Example: You should always BACK UP important files and documents so that you won't lose all your work if something goes wrong with the hardware.
2. Support
   (Separable [optional] | International English)
   
   » Example: The rest of the staff BACKED her UP when she complained about working conditions.
3. Drive a vehicle backwards
   ( | International English)
   
   » Example: Tom BACKED UP without looking and ran over his laptop.

Take our Exercise on 'BACK'