backyard

views updated May 23 2018

back·yard / ˈbakˈyärd/ • n. 1. a yard behind a house or other building, typically surrounded by a fence: a tree-shaded succession of backyards| [as adj.] a casual backyard party. 2. the area close to where one lives, or the territory close to a particular country, regarded with proprietorial concern: anything was preferable to a nuclear dump in their own backyard.