see the back of

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

see 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)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see see,‎ back.
2. (colloquial euphemistic) To be rid of.
   • 2007 September 28, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 2, Episode 6:

     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.

   • 2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, page 278:

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

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

Usage notes

Most often used with glad, happy, &c.

Further reading

• “see the back of sb sth”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “see the back of”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “see the back of”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “to see the back of someone”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “see the back of someone” (US) / “see the back of someone” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.