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I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. See rear. —v. t. support; aid; promote, fund, finance (See means); stand behind, encourage. —v. i. move backward, reverse. See regression. Ant., front.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

Syn. rear, hinder, after, in back of, in the wake of, backward, hindmost, behind, abaft, astern, hind, rearward, aback, aft, to or in the rear, dorsal, caudal, following, at the heels of, posterior, terminal, in the wake, in the background, final.

Ant. front*, forward, head.

n.

1. [The rear part or side]

Syn. rear, hinder part, posterior, stern, poop, aft, tailpiece, tail, back end, end, reverse, flip side.

Ant. front*, fore part, fore.

2. [The rear of the torso]

Syn. posterior, dorsal aspect, tergum, dorsum, tergal portion, spinal portion, hindquarters, rump, backbone, spine; see also rump .

Ant. chest*, stomach, ventral aspect.

3. [One who plays behind the line, especially in football]

Syn. linebacker, fullback, halfback, quarterback, tailback, flanker back, wingback, running back, slot back, blocking back, cornerback, safety man, free safety, ball carrier, kicker, passer, pass receiver.

• behind one's back,

Syn. in secret, without one's knowledge, surreptitiously, underhandedly; see secretly .

• (flat) on one's back,

Syn. ill, bedridden, helpless, laid up; see sick .

• get off one's back* ,

Syn. let alone, stop nagging, leave one in peace; see neglect 1 .

• get one's back up*,

Syn. become angry, be stubborn, lose one's temper; see rage 1 .

• in back of,

Syn. at the rear, behind, coming after; see back modif. , following .

• turn one's back on,

Syn. reject, desert, fail; see abandon 1 .

• with one's back to the wall,

Syn. desperate, cornered, stopped; see sad 1 , trapped .

v.

1. [To move or cause to move backward]

Syn. back up, reverse, withdraw, drive backward; see retreat 1 .

2. [To further]

Syn. support, uphold, stand behind, finance; see support 2 , 5 .

3. [To equip with a back]

Syn. stiffen, cane, line; see strengthen .

See Synonym Study at support .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

backside, posterior, spine, tail end, hind, rear, stern, rump. see ass

II

v.

1. support assist, sponsor, *go to bat for, abet, boost, stand behind, promote, endorse.

2. reverse go backwards, backtrack, return, turn tail, rebound, regress, recoil.

ANT.: 1. undermine, reject, denounce. 2. progress, advance

III

a.

1. rear hind, end, posterior.

2. distant remote, faraway, outermost, rural, secluded.

3. past earlier, previous, dated, bygone.

ANT.:1. front, anterior, head. 3. future, upcoming.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun The part or area farthest from the front: rear1, rearward. See PRECEDE. II verb 1. To move in a reverse direction: backpedal, backtrack, fall back, retreat, retrocede, retrograde, retrogress. Idiom: retrace one's steps. See FORWARD. 2. To supply capital to or for: capitalize, finance, fund, grubstake, stake, subsidize. Informal: bankroll. Idiom: put up money for. See HELP, MONEY. 3. To aid the cause of by approving or favoring: advocate, champion, endorse, get behind, plump for, recommend, side with, stand behind, stand by, support, uphold. Idioms: align oneself with, go to bat for, take the part of. See SUPPORT. 4. To present evidence in support of. Also used with up: buttress, corroborate, substantiate. See SUPPORT. 5. To assure the certainty or validity of. Also used with up: attest, authenticate, bear out, confirm, corroborate, evidence, justify, substantiate, testify (to), validate, verify, warrant. See SUPPORT, TRUE. III adjective 1. Located in the rear: hind, hindmost, posterior, postern, rear1. Nautical: after. See PRECEDE. 2. Far from centers of human population: insular, isolated, lonely, lonesome, obscure, outlying, out-of-the-way, remote, removed, secluded, solitary. Idiom: off the beaten path (or track). See NEAR. IV adverb 1. Toward the back: about, around, backward, backwards, rearward. See PRECEDE. 2. In or toward a former location or condition: about, around, backward, backwards, rearward, round. See APPROACH.