English words: backdraft to backstabber

300 English words, part 5 of 142 of the words starting with B, A to Z. 59 have a page of their own.

English words backdraft to backstabber

backdraft noun /ˈbækˌdɹæft/: Sudden, dangerous recombustion that occurs when there is a rapid reintroduction of oxygen to an enclosed space containing a fire.
backdraught noun /ˈbæk.dɹɑːft/: Alternative spelling of backdraft.
backdrivability noun: The ability of a system of gears to be operated by applying a force to the output, transmitting force through the geartrain in the reverse of the usual...
backdrivable adjective: Able to be operated by applying a force to the output, transmitting force through the gear train in the reverse of the usual direction.
backdrive verb: operated a system of gears by applying a force to the output, transmitting force through the geartrain in the reverse of the usual direction.
backdrop noun, verb /ˈbæk.dɹɒp/: A decorated cloth hung at the back of a stage.
backdune noun: One of a pair of sand dunes, furthest from the coast, separated from a foredune by a trough
Backe proper noun: A surname.
backed adjective, verb /bækt/: Put on one's back; killed; rendered dead.
backed blade noun: A prehistoric flint knife with one edge blunted (backed) and the other sharpened.
backend noun: Alternative form of back end.
backendish adjective: Autumnal; cold or chilly.
backer adjective, noun /ˈbækɚ/: One who, or that which, backs; especially one who backs an entrant in a contest, or who supports an enterprise by funding it.
backer board noun: Alternative form of backerboard.
backer-up noun: One who or that which backs up (in various senses).
backerboard noun: Boards used as underlayment for tile, plaster, or other materials.
backet noun: A shallow wooden trough for carrying ashes, coals, etc.
backface noun: The back side of a face of a mesh, which typically will never face the camera and can thus be culled (discarded) from the list of items to be rendered.
backfall noun: A fall or throw on the back.
backfat noun: Fat of the back, especially of pigs.
backfatter noun: A pig yielding significant backfat.
backfield noun /ˈbækˌfild/: Synonym of outfield.
backfielder noun: A player stationed in the backfield.
backfile noun: A file of documents in paper or fiche format that have no digital equivalent.
backfile conversion noun: The scanning of a backfile and subsequent saving in a digital format.
backfill noun, verb /ˈbækfɪl/: To refill a hole with the material dug out of it.
backfiller noun: A machine for refilling an excavation.
backfilling noun, verb: The process by which something is backfilled.
backfin noun: The rear fin of a fish.
backfire noun, verb /ˈbækfaɪə(ɹ)/: A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in the wrong direction.
backfire effect noun: The finding that, faced with evidence that contradicts their beliefs, people can reject the evidence and believe even more strongly.
backfirer noun: One who lights a back fire.
backfiring noun, verb: The occurrence of a backfire.
backfisch noun /ˈbækfɪʃ/: A teenage or late-adolescent girl.
backfist noun: A punch performed by forming a fist and striking with the tops of the two largest knuckles.
backfit verb: To retrofit.
backflash noun: The hazardous situation where the flame propagates backward down the hose of an oxyfuel welding and cutting system.
backflip noun, verb /ˈbæk.flɪp/: An act of rotating one's body 360 degrees in the backward direction.
backflop noun: A diving error that results in the diver's back making an impact on the surface of the water.
backflow noun, verb: The flow of a fluid (through a pipe etc.) in a direction opposite to that which is normal or intended.
backflowing adjective, verb: Flowing backwards.
backflush noun, verb: A temporary reversal of the flow of fluid, especially of liquid through a membrane.
backflux noun: Flux in the reverse direction.
backfolded adjective: folded back on itself
backfolding noun: A folding backwards.
backfoot verb: To put on the defensive; to put off balance.
backform noun, verb: Alternative form of back-form (“a back-formation”).
backformation noun: Alternative spelling of back-formation.
backfriend noun /ˈbækˌfɹɛnd/: A friend who supports someone; a person who has someone's back; a backer, a supporter.
backfurrow noun, verb: The line of piled soil thrown up beside a furrow when it is created by a plow
backgain adjective, noun: A relapse.
backgame noun: A game in which a player blocks the opponent's progress by forming two or more points in the opponent's home board.
backgammon noun, verb /ˈbæk.ɡæm.ən/: A board game for two players in which each has 15 stones which move between 24 triangular points according to the roll of a pair of dice; the object is to...
backgammoner noun: A player of backgammon.
backgate noun: A gate that supplies a negative voltage.
backgated adjective: Equipped with a backgate
backglass noun: An upright graphic panel mounted on the front of the backbox and decorated with game artwork.
backgrind verb: To use the backgrinding process in semiconductor manufacture.
backgrinding noun: A semiconductor manufacturing process for grinding the back side of a wafer.
background adjective, noun, verb /ˈbæk.(ɡ)ɹaʊnd/: Less important or less noticeable in a scene or system.
background check noun, verb: A report on a person’s legal and criminal personal history.
background fodder noun: A work or medium used (mostly) for the purpose of boosting the enjoyment of another medium.
background investigation noun: A background check.
background music noun: Any music played in a public space whose main function is to create an atmosphere suitable to a specific occasion, rather than to be listened to.
background noise noun: Any sound other than the sound being monitored (the primary sound); a form of noise pollution or interference.
background process noun: A process that is not currently able to receive input from its controlling terminal.
background processing noun: The execution of a subsidiary operation by a computer while the user works with another application.
background radiation noun: Ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment.
background radiation equivalent time noun: A unit of measurement of ionizing radiation dosage amounting to one day worth of average human exposure to background radiation.
background right noun: Synonym of unenumerated right.
backgrounded adjective, verb: Moved to the background
backgrounder noun: A briefing or document typically provided prior to a meeting or other event that gives basic details on subjects that are likely to be mentioned.
backgrounding noun, verb: The act by which something is backgrounded, in any sense.
backgroundy adjective: Suitable for, or resembling, a background.
backhand adjective, noun, verb /ˈbækhænd/: A stroke made across the chest from the off-hand side to the racquet hand side; a stroke during which the back of the hand faces the shot.
backhanded adjective, adverb, verb /ˈbækˌhændəd/: With the back of the hand.
backhanded compliment noun: An insult disguised as a compliment; a compliment which can be interpreted as an insult.
backhandedly adverb: In a backhanded manner.
backhandedness noun: The use of a backward flip of the hand.
backhander noun: A glass of wine given out of turn, the bottle having been handed backwards.
backhaul noun, verb: To transmit (data or footage) from a remote site to a central site from where it is re-transmitted.
backhead noun, verb: The wall of a steam locomotive's firebox, located in the cab, where the controls are mounted.
backheader noun: A hit of the ball with the back of the head
backheel noun, verb: A kick played by the heel which typically travels in the opposite direction from which the player is facing.
backheeler noun: A backheel kick.
backhoe noun, verb /ˈbæk.həʊ/: A piece of excavating equipment, either an integral subassembly or an attachment, consisting of a digging bucket or scoop on the end of an articulated arm,...
backhoe loader noun: A type of heavy equipment, a wheeled tractor unit with an excavator arm on the back and a payloader attachment on the front, and usually having hydraulic...
backhouse noun: An outbuilding behind the main building, or an annex attached to the rear of it; especially, a scullery or washhouse.
backie noun: A ride on the back of a bicycle or motorbike.
backing adjective, noun, verb /ˈbæk.ɪŋ(ɡ)/: Support, especially financial.
backing band noun: A group of musicians who accompany an artist at a live performance or on a recording. This can either be an established group, or else an ad hoc group...
backing bean noun: A bean managed by JavaServer Faces that acts as a server-side data model and controller for a specific UI view (page).
backing track noun: A prerecorded piece of music used to accompany a musician who sings live.
backish adjective: Somewhat at the back.
backite noun: A tellurate mineral with the chemical formula Pb₂Al(TeO₆)Cl.
backjoint noun: A rebate or chase in masonry left to receive a permanent slab or other filling.
backjump noun /ˈbækˌd͡ʒʌmp/: A jump from one level of an algorithm to another, used in backjumping.
backjumping noun /ˈbækd͡ʒʌmpɪŋ/: A form of backtracking that may move more than one level at a time, used to improve the efficiency of certain algorithms.
backkick noun: A kick directed backwards.
backland noun: Land that lies behind or beyond some primary settlement or development.
backlash noun, verb /ˈbækˌlæʃ/: A suddenly reversed or backward motion, such as of a rope or elastic band when it snaps under tension.
backlashed adjective, verb: Having a backlash.
backlasher noun: A participant in a backlash
backlayering noun: The movement of smoke or a hot gas against the direction of the ventilation flow.
backlead noun: An additional weight on a fishing line, to ensure that the line rests on the bed of the lake.
backless adjective /ˈbækləs/: Having no back, especially where one would be expected, as with a chair or a dress.
backlessness noun: Absence of a back.
backlet noun: An alley or narrow passage between buildings.
backlift noun: The lifting of the bat in preparation for hitting the ball.
backlight noun, verb /ˈbæk.laɪt/: Light shining from a source behind the object of interest or attention.
backlighting noun, verb: The illumination of a photographic subject from the rear, causing edges to glow while other areas remain in shadow.
backline noun: Alternative form of back line.
backliner noun: One who plays on the back line.
backlining noun: The positioning of amplifiers behind the performers when playing on a stage.
backlink noun, verb: A hyperlink to a webpage from an external website.
backlinker noun: A program or process that maintains backlinks (references to objects on another server).
backlist noun, verb: A list of older books available from a publisher, as opposed to the frontlist of more recent titles.
backlit adjective, verb /ˈbækˌlɪt/: Lit or illuminated from behind.
backload noun, verb: A load carried on the return journey of a delivery vehicle.
backloading noun, verb: The transportation of cargo or shipment on a return trip, using the space already paid for and used for the outward leg.
backlock noun: A type of lock for a folding knife whose locking action and releasing feature are both on the back of the handle.
backlog noun, verb /ˈbæk(ˌ)lɔɡ/: A large log to burn at the back of a fire.
backlogged adjective, verb: Having an excessive list of tasks to do, especially tasks that should have already been performed.
backlot noun: The farthest section of a parking lot.
backlotter noun: A small-scale amateur keeper of bees or poultry etc.
Backlund proper noun: A surname from Swedish.
backman noun: A defender in Australian rules football.
backmap verb: To map in a reverse direction.
backmarker noun: A racer who holds a poor rank or is lapped in a race. Such racers often run for a team that has less funding than most other teams and/or lack talent...
backmasked adjective: Deliberately recorded backwards in a track that is meant to be played forwards.
backmasking noun: A recording technique in which a sound or message is deliberately recorded backwards in a track that is meant to be played forwards.
backmatter noun: Alternative form of back matter.
backmost adjective /ˈbækˌmoʊst/: farthest back
backmounted adjective: Mounted on the back, like a backpack.
backmutation noun: A mutation that restores the original sequence and hence the original phenotype.
backne noun: Alternative spelling of bacne.
backness noun /ˈbæk.nɪs/: Quality of being a back vowel.
backoff noun: The situation where an algorithm or process refrains from taking an action it would otherwise have taken.
backorder noun, verb /ˈbæk(ˌ)oɹdəɹ/: An order that cannot be currently filled or shipped, but is requested nonetheless for when the item becomes available again.
backout noun: A reversal or undoing of tasks previously done (often in reverse order).
backover noun: An accident in which a motor vehicle reverses over an unseen person.
backpack noun, verb /ˈbæk.pæk/: A knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame, but always supported by straps, worn on a person’s back for the purpose of carrying things, especially when...
backpack funding noun: A form of education funding where money is allocated to individual students and not to school districts.
backpack nuke noun: Synonym of suitcase nuke.
backpack rap noun: Underground or alternative rap music.
backpack rapper noun: A performer of backpack rap music.
backpackable adjective: Capable of being carried in a backpack.
backpacked adjective, verb: Wearing a backpack.
backpacker noun: A traveler whose luggage consists of a backpack; especially, such a traveler who uses hostels, public transport, and other inexpensive services.
backpackers noun: A hostel catering to backpackers.
backpacking noun, verb: Hiking and camping overnight in backcountry with one's gear carried in a backpack.
backpaddle verb: To paddle backwards.
backpage noun: Alternative form of back page.
backpain noun: Alternative form of back pain.
backpass noun: Alternative form of back pass.
backpat noun, verb: Alternative form of back-pat.
backpatch verb: To update (partially compiled code) with jump addresses that were previously left as placeholders because they had not yet been encountered in the source code.
backpay noun: Alternative form of back pay.
backpedal noun, verb /ˈbækˌpɛdəɫ/: To pedal backwards on a bicycle.
backpedaler noun: One who backpedals.
backpedaling noun, verb: The act of distancing oneself from a previously supported idea, action, behaviour, etc.; a U-turn or flip-flop.
backpedalling noun, verb: Alternative form of backpedaling.
backpeddle verb: Eggcorn of backpedal.
backpfeifengesicht noun: A punchable face, or someone with such a face.
backpiece noun: A decorated comb that attaches a veil to the back of a bride's head.
backplane noun: A circuit board that connects several connectors in parallel to each other, so that each pin of each connector is linked to the same relative pin of all the...
backplate noun: A plate protecting a fighting person's back.
backplated adjective: Having or wearing a backplate.
backpocket noun, verb: Alternative form of back pocket.
backporch noun: Alternative spelling of back porch.
backport noun, verb: To retroactively supply to a previous version of a software product a fix or a new feature at the same time or after supplying it to the current version.
backportability noun: The quality of being backportable.
backportable adjective: Able to be backported.
backpost noun: A pole or post onto the front of which items to be used are attached.
backpressure noun: Pressure that is opposed to the desired flow of a fluid (through a duct).
backprime noun, verb: The ⟨‵⟩ or ⟨`⟩ symbol; a reversed prime.
backpriming noun, verb: The addition of a secondary infusion to a patient by priming it with fluid from the first.
backprint noun, verb: The mark or impression left by a person's back having been pressed against a surface.
backproject verb: To create back projection.
backprojected adjective: Formed by back projection
backprojection noun: Alternative form of back projection.
backprop noun: backpropagation
backpropagate verb: To propagate back through to the dendrites from which the original input was received.
backpropagation noun: An error correction technique used in neural networks.
backpropagational adjective: Relating to backpropagation.
backquote noun, verb: The symbol `, resembling a reversed quotation mark.
backra adjective, noun: Alternative form of buckra.
backradiation noun: Radiation emitted back toward its source.
backraise noun, verb: To raise after calling in the same round
backreact verb: To take part in a backreaction.
backreacting adjective, verb: That generates backreaction.
backreaction noun: The reaction, as a result of Newton's third law, back from a radiating gravitational wave.
backread verb /ˈbækˌɹiːd/: To catch up on an ongoing conversation, by reading previous portions one was not present for.
backreef noun: A lagoon found in a coral reef ecosystem.
backreference noun, verb: An item in a regular expression equivalent to the text matched by an earlier pattern in the expression.
backrest noun /ˈbækˌɹɛst/: The back piece of a chair, used to support the sitter's back.
backride verb: To travel on the back seat of a motorcycle
backrider noun: A pillion rider; a person who rides on the back of a motorcycle
backriding noun: the act of riding on the back of a motorcycle; pillioning
backroad noun: Alternative spelling of back road.
backroll noun, verb: The state of having been reverted, restored.
backronym noun, verb /ˈbæk.ɹəˌnɪm/: A word that is originally not an acronym but is turned into one by devising a full form for it, sometimes as a folk etymology, sometimes as a contrived...
backronymic adjective: Relating to, or having the form of, a backronym.
backronymy noun: The back-formation of a phrase to fit an acronym.
backroom noun /ˈbækˌɹuːm/: Especially, one that is only accessible to a privileged few and can be used as an inconspicuous meeting place, where secrecy, anonymity, and even crooked...
backroom boy noun: Someone who has an anonymous support role in an organization, especially a technician or scientist; a boffin.
backroom staff noun: The members of staff who work out of public view, such as the coaching team in a sports club.
Backroomsy adjective /ˈbækˌɹuːmsi/: Resembling the Backrooms.
backrope noun: A rope or chain running aft on either side of a sailing ship, connecting from the lower end of the dolphin striker to the bows.
backrow noun: Alternative form of back row.
backrower noun: A reserve player on a team; a member of the back row or back bench
backrub noun: A massage of the back.
backrun noun: A reverse flow, either of a fluid or of an anchor chain.
backrush noun: A rushing backward; a retreat.
backs noun, verb /bæks/: plural of back
backs to the wall noun: Alternative form of back to the wall.
backsack noun /ˈbækˌsæk/: A backpack.
backsaw noun, verb: A handsaw that has a reinforcement along its back edge.
backscan noun, verb: A scan from the back or rear side.
backscarp noun: The scarp formed by a landslide, located at the rearmost (highest) point. The extent of a landslide runs from backscarp to toe.
backscatter noun, verb: The deflection of particles or radiation through angles greater than 90 degrees to the original direction of travel.
backscatterer noun: A device used in backscattering
backscattering noun, verb: The scattering of waves, particles, or signals back in the direction of their source.
backscattersonde noun: A balloon-borne instrument used to measure the local aerosol backscatter in the atmosphere.
backscene noun: A scene used as a background.
backscratch noun, verb: A scratch on the back.
backscratcher noun: A long slender rod with a rake-like device on one end, sometimes in the form of a human hand, designed to let a person scratch their own back.
backscratching noun, verb: The act or habit of engaging in a reciprocal beneficial action.
backscreen noun: Alternative form of back screen.
backscroll noun: scrollback
backseat noun, verb: Alternative spelling of back seat.
backseat driver noun: Alternative form of back-seat driver.
backseat gamer noun: Alternative spelling of back-seat gamer.
backseat moderator noun: Alternative form of back-seat moderator.
backseater noun /ˈbækˌsitɚ/: A navigator or other crewman who accompanies the pilot of an aircraft.
backsell noun, verb: The promotion of a product to end users or retailers in order to create demand earlier in the supply chain, e.g. with wholesalers.
backset noun, verb: A check; a relapse; a discouragement; a setback.
backsettler noun: One living in the back or outlying districts of a community.
backsey noun /ˌbækˈsaɪ/: A cut of beef that contains most or the whole of the loin.
backshadow verb: To demonstrate how an event that has already occurred will affect the future.
backshadowing noun, verb: A literary device in which an author shows how an event that already occurred affects the future.
Backshall proper noun: A surname.
backshee noun: Alternative form of buckshee (“a gift or bribe”).
backsheesh noun, verb: Alternative spelling of baksheesh.
backsheet noun: The bottom layer of a solar cell.
backshell noun: Part of an electrical conductor or other electrical device, such as a cable clamp or adapter, that is threaded onto the rear connector accessory threads of...
backshift noun, verb /ˈbækʃɪft/: The changing of the tense of a verb from present to past in reported speech.
backshine noun, verb: Reflected light.
backshish noun, verb: Alternative spelling of baksheesh.
backshoot verb: To shoot in the back.
backshooter noun: A cowboy who kills someone by shooting them in the back
backshop noun: A specialized store or workshop found in service industries, such as locomotive and aircraft repair.
backshore noun: An upper shore zone above high-tide.
backshot adjective, noun, verb: Having the water introduced just behind the summit, combining the advantages of breastshot and overshot systems, since the full amount of the potential...
backshunt noun: A section of railway track which gives access to a siding (or another section of railway line) only by reversing direction; also a train movement which uses...
backside adjective, noun /ˈbækˌsaɪd/: The back side of anything, the part opposite its front, particularly
backside throw noun: The rotation of the knee and lower body of the side of the batter away from the pitcher during a swing.
backsidedness noun: The condition of being backsided.
backsie noun: The back.
backsight noun, verb: The rear sight of a firearm.
backsiphonage noun: The reverse flow of water or other liquids into the water supply due to a drop in pressure in the system.
backsishe noun: Alternative form of baksheesh.
backskin noun: A leather covering worn by miners in wet conditions
backslab noun: A type of cast that is non-circumferential, only covering the posterior aspect of a limb, in order to permit swelling.
backslang noun /ˈbækslæŋ/: A form of slang composed of words whose spelling or sound is reversed.
backslap verb /ˈbæk.slæp/: To enthusiastically affirm or congratulate a person, especially by patting them on the back.
backslapper noun: One who makes a show of liking another person with profuse or excessive displays of camaraderie, such as vigorous hand clasping, back-slapping, hearty words...
backslapping noun, verb: action of the verb to backslap
backslash noun, verb /ˈbækˌslæʃ/: The punctuation mark \ (a left-leaning diagonal line). (Common uses include (1) use as a delimiter in filepaths and (2) use as an escape character to mark...
backslide noun, verb: To regress; to slip backwards or revert to a previous, worse state.
backslider noun /ˈbakslaɪdə/: A recidivist; one who backslides, especially in a religious sense; an apostate.
backsliding adjective, noun, verb: sliding back
backslope noun: A downward slope away from the bank of a river, mountain, etc.
backslum noun: A slum; the poor and disreputable portion of a town.
backsolution noun: The process or result of backsolving.
backsolvable adjective: Capable of being backsolved.
backsolve verb: To determine the inputs that would lead to a given output in a mathematical system.
backsolver noun: A program or algorithm that backsolves.
backsound noun: Music played in the background, not intended as the main focus.
backsource verb: To bring jobs previously outsourced back into the company to be performed internally.
backsourcing noun, verb: The process of bringing previously outsourced jobs back under the roof of the company to be performed internally.
backspace noun, verb /ˈbækˌspeɪs/: The key on a typewriter that moves the head one position backwards.
backspaceable adjective: Supporting a backspace function.
backspacer noun: A mechanism in a typewriter that controls backspacing.
backspang noun: A piece of deceit or trickery enabling one to escape a commitment.
backspatter noun, verb: Blood that is directed backward toward the source of an impact.
backspelling noun: Alternative form of back-spelling.
backspike noun: A spike protruding from the back of an axe.
backspin noun, verb /ˈbækˌspɪn/: Spin applied to a ball in order to slow it, change its flight, or stop it when it lands.
backspinner noun: A ball bowled with backspin
backsplash noun, verb /ˈbækˌsplæʃ/: A vertical covering on a wall rising above a countertop or other work surface to protect the wall from spills and to decorate the wall.
backsplat noun: The wood block on a chair's back
backsplatter noun: Alternative form of backspatter.
backsplice noun, verb: To secure the ends of a twisted rope within the rope itself in order to prevent fraying
backsplit noun: A split-level home whose split level is visible only from the side elevation.
backspot flying fish noun: A particular species of flying fish, Cheilopogon dorsomacula.
backspread noun: A combination of options, with more being long than short
backstab noun, verb /ˈbækˌstæb/: To attack someone (especially verbally) unfairly in a deceitful, underhand, or treacherous manner, especially when they're not present in the place or...
backstabbee noun: One who has been backstabbed.
backstabber noun /ˈbækˌstæbɚ/: A traitor or hypocrite, such as a co-worker or friend assumed trustworthy but who figuratively attacks when one's back is turned.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0): each word's first meaning. A word with a page of its own links to it; for the rest, this line is PlainSpell's entry. Total under B: 42,566 words, in 142 parts.