British Dictionary definitions for back end

back end

noun

Northern English dialect autumn

adjective back-end

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

Word Origin

from the phrase the back end of the year

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Examples from the Web for back end

Historical Examples

Back-end, that portion of the year which commences with October.
The Slang Dictionary
John Camden Hotten
"There'll be a good bit of money to come in this back-end," she said.
The Root of All Evil
J. S. Fletcher
"You can't pump water round the back-end," said the engineer.
Thrice Armed
Harold Bindloss
We drap awa' like the leaves in the back-end, Maister Weelum—ay, juist like leaves nippit wi' the frost.
Betty Grier
Joseph Waugh
It is no surprise to me who have commanded a body of clansmen for a fortnight in the back-end of a retreat.
The Yeoman Adventurer
George W. Gough

back end

Word Origin

Examples from the Web for back end

Historical Examples

Back-end, that portion of the year which commences with October.

"There'll be a good bit of money to come in this back-end," she said.

"You can't pump water round the back-end," said the engineer.

We drap awa' like the leaves in the back-end, Maister Weelum—ay, juist like leaves nippit wi' the frost.

It is no surprise to me who have commanded a body of clansmen for a fortnight in the back-end of a retreat.