on the back of
idiom
1
: because of or on the strength of (something)
Profits have increased on the back of improved international sales.
2
disapproving
: by using the efforts of (other people)
The company has achieved record profits on the back of cheap labor.
Examples of on the back of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Treasury yields spiked higher Friday on the back of hotter-than-expected U.S. jobs data, as investors breathed a sigh of relief that the U.S. economy remains on solid footing.
—
Sean Conlon,alex Harring,jenni Reid, CNBC, 6 June 2025
The images showed a massive pink, brown and black bruise on the back of her leg.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 6 June 2025
Symbiotic’s timing couldn’t be better with this week’s Relay announcement on the back of last week’s SEC staking clarification.
—Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
And when the cops creep in with a caravan of backup, Emery figures out that Joe’s new medallion has a tracker on the back of it.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the back of
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sean Conlon,alex Harring,jenni Reid, CNBC, 6 June 2025
The images showed a massive pink, brown and black bruise on the back of her leg.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 6 June 2025
Symbiotic’s timing couldn’t be better with this week’s Relay announcement on the back of last week’s SEC staking clarification.
—Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
And when the cops creep in with a caravan of backup, Emery figures out that Joe’s new medallion has a tracker on the back of it.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the back of
Cite this Entry
“On the back of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20back%20of. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share