Synonyms for back away
| Grammar : Verb |
| Spell : bak |
| Phonetic Transcription : bæk |
Définition of back away
Origin :- Old English bæc "back," from Proto-Germanic *bakam (cf. Old Saxon and Middle Dutch bak, Old Frisian bek), with no known connections outside Germanic.
- The cognates mostly have been ousted in this sense in other modern Germanic languages by words akin to Modern English ridge (cf. Danish ryg, German Rücken). Many Indo-European languages show signs of once having distinguished the horizontal back of an animal (or a mountain range) from the upright back of a human. In other cases, a modern word for "back" may come from a word related to "spine" (Italian schiena, Russian spina) or "shoulder, shoulder blade" (Spanish espalda, Polish plecy).
- To turn (one's) back on (someone or something) "ignore" is from early 14c. Behind (someone's) back "clandestinely" is from late 14c.
- To know (something) like the back of one's hand, implying familiarity, is first attested 1893. The first attested use of the phrase is from a dismissive speech made to a character in Robert Louis Stevenson's "Catriona":
- If I durst speak to herself, you may be certain I would never dream of trusting it to you; because I know you like the back of my hand, and all your blustering talk is that much wind to me.
- The story, a sequel to "Kidnapped," has a Scottish setting and context, and the back of my hand to you was noted in the late 19th century as a Scottish expression meaning "I will have nothing to do with you" [e.g. "Jamieson's Dictionary of the Scottish Language"]. In English generally, the back of (one's) hand has been used to imply contempt and rejection since at least 1300. Perhaps the connection of a menacing dismissal is what made Stevenson choose that particular anatomical reference.
- verb move away backwards
- He tried to back away from her, oblivious to the fact that by his hold on her he dragged her after him.
- Extract from : « White Fang » by Jack London
- Lip-lip essayed to back away, but White Fang struck him hard, shoulder to shoulder.
- Extract from : « White Fang » by Jack London
- Beauty Smith, his hands still behind him, began to back away.
- Extract from : « White Fang » by Jack London
- He had a shrinking will; his instinct in an emergency was to back away from things.
- Extract from : « Changing Winds » by St. John G. Ervine
- "I'll do nothing of the sort," said Travail, starting to back away.
- Extract from : « Made in Tanganyika » by Carl Richard Jacobi
- He pointed it and started to back away to the tree behind him.
- Extract from : « The Boy Land Boomer » by Ralph Bonehill
- Link Merwell was also agitated, and for the instant tried to back away.
- Extract from : « Dave Porter in the Gold Fields » by Edward Stratemeyer
- He tried the right, and had to back away from a furniture van that had no business to be there.
- Extract from : « The Four Million » by O. Henry
- Then, on hands and knees, they saw him back away from the crest.
- Extract from : « Eight Keys to Eden » by Mark Irvin Clifton
- They stumbled all over one another in trying to back away from her.
- Extract from : « Prudence Says So » by Ethel Hueston
Antonyms for back away
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019