back

adverb (RETURN)

/bæk/

Definition

B2 in, into, or towards a previous place or condition, or an earlier time: When you take the scissors, remember to put them back. He left a note saying "Gone out. Back soon." She went to America for two years, but now she's back (= has returned). He looked back (= looked behind him) and saw they were following him. Looking at her old photographs brought back (= made her remember) a lot of memories. I was woken by a thunderstorm, and I couldn't get back to sleep (= could not sleep again). The last time we saw Lowell was back (= at an earlier time) in January. This tradition dates back to (= to the earlier time of) the 16th century.Backwards, sideways and back and forth A2 in return: If he hits me, I'll hit him back. You're not just going to let her say those things about you without fighting back, are you?Revenge and vengefulness A2 in reply: I'm busy at the moment - can I call you back? I wrote to Donna several months ago, but she hasn't written back yet.Answering and responding

(Definition of back adverb (RETURN) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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