hold back
To act with reserve; to contain one's full measure or power.
Don't hold back. Hit it as hard as you can.
back
/bæk/
noun 7adj 5adv 5verb 5name 2
Collocations
57(noun.) part of the body
ADJ
broad | lean, slender | muscled, muscular, powerful, strong | bent | erect, straight | lower, upper
bad, stiff
After gardening all weekend, she woke up with a stiff back and could barely get out of bed.
VERB + BACK
bend, stiffen, straighten
stretch
After sitting at my desk all day, I stood up and stretched my back.
break, hurt, injure
arch
When I stretch in the morning, I arch my back to relieve the stiffness.
support | knead, massage | scratch
BACK + VERB
arch
stiffen
She felt her back stiffen when the boss walked into the room.
ache
BACK + NOUN
injury, pain, trouble | muscles
support
The doctor recommended a special pillow for better back support while sleeping.
PREP
behind your ~
She whispers complaints about her boss behind his back during lunch breaks.
flat on your ~
When she had the flu, Maria was flat on her back for nearly two weeks.
on your ~
The backpack felt heavy on my back after hiking all day.
in the/your ~
She felt a sharp twinge in her back when she lifted the heavy suitcase.
~ to
The teacher turned her back to the class and wrote the lesson on the board.
PHRASES
sb's back is turned
The children started playing video games the moment their mother's back was turned.
back to back
We had three meetings back to back on Friday, so I was exhausted by the end of the day.
a pat/slap on the back
When the team won the championship, the coach gave each player a pat on the back.
the small of your back
He carried the heavy box with his arms, feeling the strain in the small of his back.
turn your back (on sb/sth)
He turned his back on a successful career to pursue his passion for teaching.
(noun.) part furthest from the front
PREP
around/round the ~
The garden gate is around the back of the house near the trees.
at the ~
The teacher asked the shy student to sit at the back of the classroom.
down the ~
I found my lost earring down the back of the sofa yesterday afternoon.
in the ~
The children were playing games in the back of the bus during the long journey.
to the ~
She walked to the back of the classroom and sat down quietly.
towards the ~
The bathroom is towards the back of the house, next to the kitchen.
PHRASES
back to front
She didn't notice her shirt was on back to front until lunchtime at work.
(verb.) move backwards
ADV
hastily, hurriedly
He hastily backed out of the parking space when he heard the loud noise.
away, in, off, up
The dog backed away nervously when the stranger approached too quickly.
VERB + BACK
try to
The driver tried to back out of the parking space but hit the fence.
PREP
across
The car backed across the narrow driveway to let the truck pass through.
away from
She backed away from the hot stove when she felt the intense heat.
into
The car backed into the parking space as the driver looked in the mirror.
out of
She backed out of her promise to help us move next weekend.
(verb.) support sb/sth
ADV
firmly, strongly
The local community firmly backed the plan to build a new playground in the neighborhood.
fully | overwhelmingly | unanimously | openly, publicly
financially
The local sports team was financially backed by several generous donors from the community.
up
My parents backed me up when I decided to change my career path.
PHRASAL VERBS back down
VERB + BACK
refuse to | be forced to, be obliged to
PREP
from
She decided to back away from the argument after realizing they were both right.
on
The company won't back down on its decision to close the factory next year.
over
After a heated argument, she decided to back down over the parking space dispute.
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