back of

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

back of

“They’re not hardwired into some system that’s connected to the internet to an algorithmic computer center somewhere in the back of the house.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

A short distance from the nursery, workers in white protective suits loaded a child-sized coffin into the back of a pickup truck.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

"That award was on the back of Michael Carrick becoming the manager," said Carragher.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Brundo had set up a Styrofoam deer and a bear on the back of his property to entertain archer Nugent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Father spits, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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