back end

[ bak-end ]

/ ˈbæk ˈɛnd /

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See synonyms for: back end / back ends on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

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.

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.

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.

British. the last few months of the year:The journal was published at the back end of last year.

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Also back-end, back·end .

Origin of back end

First recorded in 1590–1600

Words nearby back end

backdraught, backdrop, backed, back emf, back emission, back end, back-end load, backend-to, backer, backer-up, backfall

Other definitions for back end (2 of 2)

back-end

or back·end

[ bak-end ]

/ ˈbækˌɛnd /

adjective

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.

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.

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.

Origin of back-end

First recorded in 1970–75

How to use back end in a sentence

Yet this, in the end, is a book from which one emerges sad, gloomy, disenchanted, at least if we agree to take it seriously.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Think back to the Bush-Kerry race of 2004, the Thrilla in Vanilla.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Back in New York, the slow pace and inward focus of her yoga practice was less fulfilling.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Music is a huge part of the tone of Black Dynamite overall—going back to the original 2009 movie on which the series is based.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The al Qaeda-linked gunmen shot back, but only managed to injure one officer before they were taken out.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I waited three months more, in great impatience, then sent him back to the same post, to see if there might be a reply.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
Ages back—let musty geologists tell us how long ago—'twas a lake, larger than the Lake of Geneva.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The boys were tumbling about, clinging to his legs, imploring that numerous things be brought back to them.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
With a suffocating gasp, she fell back into the chair on which she sat, and covered her face with her hands.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
She was holding the back of her chair with one hand; her loose sleeve had slipped almost to the shoulder of her uplifted arm.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

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 for back end

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

back end

Origin of back end

Words nearby back end

Other definitions for back end (2 of 2)

or back·end

Origin of back-end

Words related to back end

How to use back end in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for back end

Word Origin for back end