back、backward、hind与behind这些词均有“在后、向后”之意。
back : 作为副词或形容词时，强调所修饰物的位置以及动作运动方向。
- If we push the table back against the wall, we'll have more room.
如果把桌子往后推，靠着墙，就会腾出更多的空间。 - "Keep back!" he shouted, "Don't come any closer!"
“退后！”他大叫着，“不要再靠近了！” - He sat back on the sofa.
他向后靠坐在沙发上。 - She threw back her head and laughed uproariously.
她仰起头，大笑不止。 - The house is set back from the street.
那座房子远离公路。
backward : 可用于人或物，指向后的，落后的或迟钝的。
- She left without a backward glance.
她头也不回地离去了。 - He did a fantastic backward somersault.
他做了一个漂亮的后空翻。 - When he was a child, his teachers thought he was backward (= unable to learn as much as most children).
小时候，老师认为他愚笨迟钝。 - People still think of it as a backward country/region/area (= one without industry or modern machines).
人们仍然认为这是一个落后的国家／区域／地区。
hind : 指成对并且分前后的东西的“后面的”。
- The horse reared up on its hind legs.
那匹马后腿前立，站了起来。 - A goat was standing up against a tree on its hind legs, trying to get at the leaves.
一只山羊后腿撑地，搭着树站立起来，试图去够叶子。
behind : 指一物同它物相对的位置或场所。
- Look behind you!
朝后看！ - I hung my coat behind the door.
我把大衣挂在门后了。 - Alex led, and I followed along behind.
亚历克斯带头，我紧随其后。 - As hard as she tried, she always fell behind the other swimmers in the races.
比赛中不管怎样努力，她总是落在其他游泳选手的后面。 - I knew that behind (= hidden by) her smile was sadness.
我知道她在用微笑掩饰着内心的忧伤。
