back of

Idioms and Phrases

Also, at the back of ; in back of . Behind; also, supporting. For example, The special brands were stored back of the counter , or “Franklin stood back of me in everything I wanted to do” (Eleanor Roosevelt, quoted by Catherine Drinker Bowen, Atlantic Monthly , March 1970). The first term, dating from the late 1600s, was long criticized as an undesirable colloquialism but today is generally considered acceptable. The variants, at the back of , from about 1400, and in back of , from the early 1900s, also can be used both literally and figuratively and could be substituted for back of in either example. Also see back of beyond .

Example Sentences

As he left, the back of his sweatshirt offered his brother’s name and the dates of his birth and recent death.

From Slate

The retina, a light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, consumes more oxygen than any other tissue in the body and relies on the retinal pigment epithelium cell layer to function properly.

From Science Daily

Michael Ofer-Ziv, 29, knew two people from his village who were killed on 7 October, among them Shani Louk whose body was paraded through Gaza on the back of a pickup truck in what became one of the most widely shared images of the war.

From BBC

The emergency medicine consultants said a lack of capacity in accident and emergency left one patient waiting almost six hours in the back of an ambulance with a fractured hip.

From BBC

Luckily, the group's instruments were housed in a separate, locked compartment at the back of the van.

From BBC