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behind one's back

back
B b

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [bak]
    • /bɪˈhaɪnd wʌnz bæk/
    • /bɪˈhaɪnd wʌnz bæk/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [bak]
    • /bɪˈhaɪnd wʌnz bæk/

Definitions of behind one's back words

  • noun behind one's back without one's knowledge; secretly or deceitfully 3
  • noun behind one's back the rear part of the human body, extending from the neck to the lower end of the spine. 1
  • noun behind one's back the part of the body of animals corresponding to the human back. 1
  • noun behind one's back the rear portion of any part of the body: the back of the head. 1
  • noun behind one's back the whole body, with reference to clothing: the clothes on his back. 1
  • noun behind one's back ability for labor; effort; endurance: He put his back into the task. 1
See all 56 definitions of behind one's back

Information block about the term

Origin of behind one's back

First appearance:

before 1000
One of the 6% oldest English words
before 1000; Middle English bak, Old English bæc back of the body; cognate with Old Frisian bek, Old Saxon, Old Norse bak; perhaps < Indo-European *bhogo- bending; cf. bacon

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Behind one's back

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Behind one's back

behind one's back popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

Synonyms for behind one's back

adv behind one's back

  • covertly — concealed; secret; disguised.
  • secretly — done, made, or conducted without the knowledge of others: secret negotiations.
  • sub rosa — confidentially; secretly; privately.
  • surreptitiously — obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance.
  • sneakily — like or suggestive of a sneak; furtive; deceitful.
All 5 Synonyms of behind one's back

See also

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