Word.ws English Dictionary

backs to the wall

backs to the wall is the alternative form of back to the wall.

Meaning of back to the wall

Noun

back to the wall (plural backs to the wall)

  1. (idiomatic) A very difficult situation with no beneficial options available for action.
    • From this place—so he told himself—had emanated that policy of extortion, oppression and injustice that little by little had shouldered the ranchers from their rights, till, their backs to the wall, exasperated and despairing they had turned and fought and died.1901, Frank Norris, chapter 8, in The Octopus

Questions about backs to the wall

What is backs to the wall the alternative form of?
Backs to the wall is the alternative form of back to the wall.

Words near backs to the wall in the dictionary

  1. backs onto
  2. backs out
  3. backs the field
  4. backs the right horse
  5. backs the wrong horse
  6. backs to the wall
  7. backs up
  8. backs up the truck
  9. backs water
  10. backsack
  11. backsacks

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: backs to the wall (page history and authors); back to the wall (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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