English Expressions, Idioms & Phrasal Verbs | Meanings, Examples & Usage
being in a leading or important position in a field
"The research center is at the forefront of renewable energy studies."
in a position of leadership or control
"With her at the helm, the company has grown rapidly."
to be performing at one’s best level
"The athlete is at the top of his game this season."
to be conflicted or struggling internally
"She is at war with herself about the decision to move abroad."
to be very close to losing control due to stress
"After months of overwork, she was at her breaking point."
You are responsible for any possible danger or loss.
"You can enter the cave, but it’s at your own risk."
to be so worried or confused that you do not know what to do
"After trying everything to calm her baby, she was at her wit's end."
to include a file or document with an email
"I've attached the report to this email."
to make a process operate automatically using technology
"We need to automate the process to save time and cost."
to have a particular average amount or rate over a period of time
"Inflation averaged out at around 4% over the year."
to change opinions or decisions repeatedly
"We’ve been going back and forth about this issue for weeks."
to move backward from something frightening
"They backed away from the angry dog."
to avoid or withdraw from a difficult emotional situation
"He tends to back away from emotional conversations."
to avoid putting blame on others or oneself during a disagreement
"It’s wise to back away from blame and focus on solutions."
to choose not to hold an influential position
"Some activists back away from power to stay independent."
to admit you were wrong and stop arguing
"She refused to back down even after realizing her mistake."
to withdraw from a position or opinion due to pressure
"He never backs down from what he believes in."
to withdraw from a position or demand in a conflict
"The union refused to back down from demands for higher wages."
to withdraw or concede a position after opposition
"The government refused to back down on its stance regarding foreign aid."
to support one another in a group or team
"Good teammates always back each other up when challenges arise."
to move backwards into something unintentionally
"I nearly backed into the recycling bin while parking."
to stop being aggressive or argumentative in a conflict
"When the discussion got heated, he wisely backed off."
to stop being overly aggressive or involved in an argument
"He decided to back off emotionally to avoid further conflict."
to stop being involved in a situation; to retreat from confrontation
"He decided to back off from the argument before it got worse."
to recover and be healthy again
"After a few days of rest, he’s finally back on his feet."
to return to the right path or plan
"After some delays, our trip is back on track."
recovered and healthy again
"It’s good to see you back on your feet after the flu."
to support or defend each other in a group
"In our team, we always back one another up during challenges."
to support or defend other people’s actions or opinions
"A responsible leader always backs others up when they take initiative."
to decide not to do something after agreeing to it
"He backed out of the deal at the last minute."
to decide not to do something you agreed to do
"He backed out of the deal at the last minute."
to withdraw from an agreement or promise
"The government suddenly backed out of agreement with its allies."
to withdraw from a deal or commitment that was previously made
"The country decided to back out of an agreement citing national interest."
to support or defend someone in a team or argument
"During the debate, my teammates backed me up when I presented my point."
to make a copy of data and store it in another place
"You should back your files up to an external hard drive regularly."
to start over again
"After the computer crashed, I had to go back to square one with my report."
to start over again after a failure
"Our proposal was rejected, so it's back to the drawing board."
to support or defend an idea, person, or policy
"The senators backed up the president’s reform agenda."
to make a copy of data to prevent loss
"It’s important to regularly back up data on your computer."
to copy information onto a safe location
"Reporters back up data to the cloud after each story."
to support or defend someone’s ideas or opinions
"During the discussion, teammates backed up each other's ideas confidently."
to provide support or resources for new projects
"Global organizations back up initiatives that promote equality."
to support financial or business initiatives with funding
"Private investors backed up investment in green energy projects."
to support with evidence or examples
"You should back up your claims with reliable data."
to support a claim or statement using proof or facts
"You should always back up your accusations with evidence."
to have faith in your own ability or decision
"You have to back yourself up if you want others to trust you."
An undocumented way of accessing a system or software, usually used by hackers to bypass security.
"The attacker installed a backdoor to access the system at any time without being detected."
a secret or unauthorized way to access a system or information
"Hackers found a backdoor access to the company’s database."
a secret or unofficial way to access something
"Hackers found a backdoor entry into the company’s database."
a learning algorithm used in neural networks to minimize error by adjusting weights through the network
"The backpropagation algorithm helps in optimizing the neural network's performance."