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

That’s on the back of an ongoing migration to online car buying, which currently accounts for only 2% of used-vehicle sales, “as consumers get more comfortable with purchasing online,” he said.

From MarketWatch

Analysts at KeyBanc initiated the stock at Overweight with a $217 target price last week, on the back of AI-driven demand for power.

From Barron's

James floated a corner in from the left, and Trevoh Chalobah flicked a header into the back of the net.

From BBC

The back of the room — populated with parents, guardians and supervisors — is more sedate.

From Los Angeles Times

I put to the back of my mind the revelations about Hoover’s known assaults on the civil rights leader while he was alive.

From Slate

Related Words

• backward