see the back of

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see see, back.

“After his mother-in-law stayed for two weeks, he was glad to see the back of her.”

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Meanings

verbsee the back of (third-person singular simple present sees the back of, present participle seeing the back of, simple past saw the back of, past participle seen the back of)

present singular third person sees the back of · participle present seeing the back of · past saw the back of · participle past seen the back of

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see see, back.
  2. colloquialeuphemisticTo be rid of.

    After his mother-in-law stayed for two weeks, he was glad to see the back of her.

    2 more examples

    Jen: Yeah, I think I'll say yes. I think I have to. You guys'll probably be glad to see the back of me... Wow. You're just gonna let that hang there.

    2007 September 28, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 2, Episode 6

    Today we are glad to see the back of such horrors.

    2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, page 278
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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