1
as in supporter
a person who actively supports or favors a cause
backers of prison reform held a rally in front of the statehouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sponsor
a person who takes the responsibility for some other person or thing
all financial backers will be expected to offer some input into the company's decisions
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in ally
someone associated with another to give assistance or moral support
the student's backers spoke at the school board meeting on her behalf
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of backer
Key Background Nvidia has been a major backer of CoreWeave, previously agreeing to buy over $6 billion in services from them, according to a September filing.
—
Sofia Chierchio, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Nvidia was already a major CoreWeave backer.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026
The Connect has already blasted past its funding goal with more than 1,100 backers behind it.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 25 Jan. 2026
In a news release announcing the signature petition, backers of the measure featured quotes from prominent Colorado and national Democrats supporting deporting violent criminals, though none have apparently endorsed this specific measure.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
But backers under 6-feet, 240 are outliers, not the norm.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
Paramount backer RedBird Capital took exception to that — read that back-and-forth here.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
As costs rise, candidates devote more time to courting wealthy backers, interest groups and political action committees.
—Philip Jankowski, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026
California has more billionaires than any other state — approximately 200, if not more, according to backers of the ballot initiative.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026
Sofia Chierchio, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Nvidia was already a major CoreWeave backer.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026
The Connect has already blasted past its funding goal with more than 1,100 backers behind it.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 25 Jan. 2026
In a news release announcing the signature petition, backers of the measure featured quotes from prominent Colorado and national Democrats supporting deporting violent criminals, though none have apparently endorsed this specific measure.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
But backers under 6-feet, 240 are outliers, not the norm.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
Paramount backer RedBird Capital took exception to that — read that back-and-forth here.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
As costs rise, candidates devote more time to courting wealthy backers, interest groups and political action committees.
—Philip Jankowski, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026
California has more billionaires than any other state — approximately 200, if not more, according to backers of the ballot initiative.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backer
Noun
-
Yet the fact remains that their league position has slipped from fifth to 12th since away supporters last watched their team winning in the league, 2-0 at Nottingham Forest at the end of November.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire and Perfect Days director and long-time Berlinale supporter Wenders was announced as the president of the jury in December.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
On Monday, dozens more congressional Democrats agreed to join as co-sponsors of legislation seeking to impeach Noem, amid the torrent of negative headlines and controversy.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Volunteers — some from corporate sponsors, others who might come off the annual wait list for this opportunity — then carefully use a rubber stamp with this year’s winning original verse on the envelope.—
Mindy Sink,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But the increasing unpredictability of the US, which has imposed heavy tariffs on its allies, has prompted Starmer and other Western leaders to look again to China.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Reuther plays Jarl Sigurd, the Jarl of Hladir, a scheming Norwegian jarl and ally of Haakon (Levi Miller), the younger half-brother of Erik Bloodaxe (Molyneux).—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Such markets gained popularity during the 2024 presidential race as proponents touted them as being more accurate and timely than traditional polling.—
A.J. Perez,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The price of localized interventions at Thwaites, proponents say, pales in comparison with the price of building seawalls around major cities.—
Christian Elliott,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
During those early days, swimmers entertained patrons, before being replaced by mermaids with shiny tails.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The most popular local zip codes for restaurant patrons who entered previous raffles are 53215, 53207 and 53208, but past visitors also came from neighboring states, including Illinois and Minnesota, to sample the food.—
Alyssa N. Salcedo,
jsonline.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Elsewhere, law enforcement leaders, civil rights advocates and other legal experts have decried how ICE agents and other federal officers have been flouting best practices when making street arrests, conducting crowd control and maintaining public safety amid mass protests.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.—
Nature magazine,
Scientific American,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backer. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
