on the back of

preposition

As a result of; after; subsequent to.

“Generational wealth was in some cases built on the back of slave labor.”

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Meanings

preposition
  1. As a result of; after; subsequent to.

    Lisicki will rise from her current ranking of 62 to at least 35 in the world on the back of her efforts at the All England Club, but she will have serious designs on a first Grand Slam title after overcoming the 2007 runner-up.

    2011 June 28, Piers Newbery, “Wimbledon 2011: Sabine Lisicki beats Marion Bartoli”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 04 Feb 2023
  2. derogatoryBy the effort of; by drawing an unfair advantage from.

    Generational wealth was in some cases built on the back of slave labor.

    2 more examples

    They're trying to hand out dividends on the backs of the skilled workers who keep the lights on and can't get adequate raises and insurance.

    This posh hotel makes its money on the backs of poor working women. It's clearly an outfit with no respect for its workers.

    1987 December 13, Elizabeth Pincus, quoting Barbara Neely, “Copping To The Mop Scandal”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 22, page 1

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
upon the back of
Cite this entry
APA

on the back of. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20back%20of

MLA

“on the back of.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20back%20of. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the back of,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20back%20of.

Source: on the back of on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.