back up — reverse a vehicle
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To move a car or other vehicle backwards.
Say it like a native
Textbook Could you move the vehicle backwards a short distance?
Native Could you back up a bit?
'Back up' is the natural verb for reversing a car (esp. AmE); the formal paraphrase is odd.
Pattern: back up (vehicle/object)
In use
- Could you back up a little so I can get out?travel
- When I took my driving test, I had to back up the car into a parking space.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He backed up of the driveway.
✓ He backed out of the driveway.
To leave a space in reverse it's 'back out of'; 'back up' is just moving backwards.
Common collocations
back up (a vehicle)— the car, a bit, slowly, into
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'turn around', which means to change direction completely.
Related
- back up (support someone) — Another meaning of 'back up' is 'support someone'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.