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• back end
  back end

  noun

  the rear part of something.
• back-end
  back-end

  adjective

  being or relating to those parts of a computer program, website, system, network, etc., that the user does not see or directly interact with.

back end

¹ American  

[bak end] / ˈbæk ˈɛnd /

back-end,

noun

1. the rear part of something.

   I didn’t think my stage debut would entail playing the back end of a bull!

   My eyes followed the back end of the car, watching it slowly creep up the road and out of sight.

2. the later part of a process or span of time.

   The team has a chance to turn their season around, but they face a difficult back end of the schedule.

3. Computers. the parts of a computer program, website, system, network, etc., that the user does not see or directly interact with.

   The user information has all been updated in the back end.

   Our engineers can refurbish existing backends internally, improving structure and performance without altering the external behavior of the code.

4. the part of an organization or process that operates in the background or out of the public view.

   Tell us about the back end of your business, like your accounting and data processing systems.

5. British. the last few months of the year.

   The journal was published at the back end of last year.

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back-end ² American  

[bak-end] / ˈbækˌɛnd /

Or backend

adjective

1. Computers. being or relating to those parts of a computer program, website, system, network, etc., that the user does not see or directly interact with.

   Managed website hosting is for those who do not want to bother with a lot of the back-end stuff like updating apps and enabling automatic backups.

   We’re seeking an experienced back-end developer to help complete the development of our mobile education platform.

2. being or relating to the part of an organization that operates in the background or out of the public view.

   The library is hoping to streamline many of their back-end administrative processes.

   The back-end legal and financial responsibilities of running a business are significant.

3. happening or incurred at or near the end of a process or span of time.

   We do not ever charge hidden back-end transaction fees.

   The young pitcher is shaping up to be a great middle or back-end reliever.

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back end British  

noun

1. dialect autumn

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adjective

1. (of money, costs, etc) required or incurred after a project has been completed

Etymology

Origin of back end¹

First recorded in 1590–1600

Origin of back-end²

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

back end back-end

It has struggled so badly to modernize the chatbot that, after years of trying, it still had to turn to Google to provide the technology back end.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Apple has struggled to modernize Siri, previously failing to deliver promised features and relying on Google for its back end.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Luke Wright quit at the back end of Australia.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

If there’s trust on the back end, James can move up closer to the line of scrimmage to make plays and wreak havoc.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

The back end of Mami’s car was crushed into the back seat.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

The momentum could continue into the next calendar year “as inference workloads scale and power density rises across the data center, driving demand for back-end test infrastructure,” Garrigan said.

From MarketWatch ● May 9, 2026

“When we were starting our businesses, none of us had any knowledge of the back-end stuff,” Ziskin told me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026

"While airports appear highly automated and standardised, their back-end operations still rely heavily on human labour and face serious labour shortages," GMO AI & Robotics' president Tomohiro Uchida told reporters.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

The war could be reflected in Boeing’s earnings conference call commentary about deliveries, which could be back-end loaded.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

It's ten year this last back-end sin' we buried him.

From Lancashire Idylls (1898) by Mather, Marshall

Related Words

• back
• back door
• backside
• bottom
• butt
• rear end
• tail