bavby /"berbi/ noun (plural babies) a very young child —sae color picture on page 191 baby carriage /'. bugay) a small bed with wheels, used for pushing 2 baby around outdoors bavby-sit /'berbisit/ verb (babysitting, babysat) to care for child while his or her parents are away / noun (also baby ba-by-sit-ter /‘berbi sita/ noun someone who is paid to BABYSIT a child bachelor /‘batfols, 'betfle/ noun @ man who is not married back! /bek/ noun 1 the part of your body that is behind you and goes from your neck to your legs: / lay on my back, gazing up at the clouds. | Jo said that her back is aching. 2 the part of something that is farthest from the front: it’s O.K. to write on the back of your paper. | There's # poo! in back of (=behind) our house. >> compare FRONT! 3 behind someone's back if you do something behind someone's back, you do it without them knowing and without their approval: You should. at talk about Helen behind her back. 4 be on someone's back to keep telling some- one to da something in a way that is annoying: Dad's been on my back all day about washing the car, 5 turn your back on someone to refuse to help or be friendly with someone: Now that he's famous he's turned his back on his friends. - back? adverb 41 in the direction that is behind you: She looked back to see if Torn was still there. 2 to the place where something or someone was before: Put the book back on the shelf when you've finished it. | If be back in an hour: 3 in reply: Call me back when you can, 4 away from the front of something: Stand back from the fire. 5 back and forth in one direction, then in the other direction: He kept walking back and forth across the floor. back? verb 1 (also back up or back off) to mave in the direction that is behind you or to make @ vehicle do this: She backed the car into the street. | { ran up to him, but he didn’t back off. ® back down to accept that you were wrong about something 3 back someone up to support someone by agreeing that what they say is true 4 hack out of something to decide not to do something that you had agreed to do back! adjective in the back or behind something: the back door >> opposite FRONTE back-bone /'bekboun/ noun the line of bones going from your neck to your bottom back-ground /‘bekgraund/ noun 1 the type of education, family etc. that you have: Tell me something about your back- ground. | a middle-class background 2 [U) the area that is behind the main objects or people in @ picture: Here's a picture of Mary with our house in the background. 3 the facts or events that have led to a partic- ular situation: The peace talks are taking place against a background of violence. back-pack /‘bekpzk/ noun bag that you carry on your back —see picture @t BAG and see color picture on page 188 back-up /"bekap/ noun a copy of something that can be used if the first, one is lost or damaged: You should make a backup of your files. back-ward! /‘bekwad/ adverb (also backwards) 1 in the direction that is behind you: He took two steps backward, >> compare FORWARD! 2 starting at the end; in the opposite way to what is usual. For example, if you count back- ward from 5, you say “5, 4, 3, 2, 1,0." 3 with the back part in front: He has his Fshirt on backward. backward? adjective 1 in the direction that is behind you: a back ward glance >> compare FORWARD? 2 slow to learn things or to develop back-yard /,bek'yards/ noun the ares of land behind a house