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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

way back en · ADV

Pronunciation

  • (Mid-Atlantic, US) audio

Meanings

  1. (not-comparable) long ago
  2. (not-comparable) far into the past
    • “we’re mighty glad to have you all here. Don’t pay no ‘tention to Lula, she’s contentious because Reverend Sykes threatened to church her. She’s a troublemaker from way back, got fancy ideas an’ haughty ways—we’re mighty glad to have you all.” 1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
    • As friends, we go way back: we met in primary school.

Relateds

way back when

Synonyms

yore · of old (long ago)

way back en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Mid-Atlantic, US) audio

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see way, back.
  2. (informal, uncountable) The part farthest in the back, as of a passenger vehicle.
    • Mom swerves the church's turd-brown minivan into an open space. Departure area. The little kids are in the back seat. They ramble on about the airport. Patrick sits in the way back. 2015 March 10, Diane C. Mullen, Tagged, Charlesbridge Publishing, →ISBN, page 49: