1
as in to testify (to)
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in jam
a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement
there was the inevitable backup of travelers trying to pass through airport security
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in replacement
a person or thing that takes the place of another
you didn't get the lead position, but you can be the backup to the chosen singer
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in makeshift
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of back (up)
Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
Thaircamper includes a hand pump for use as a backup and for more gradually fine-tuning pressure.
—New Atlas, 11 Mar. 2026
Justin Pot, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026
Even if his career has mostly seen rotational work and special teams snaps, Locke’s high floor provides Dallas with a consistent presence from a backup player.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Noun
Even as a backup, somehow Geno could help get a coach fired.
—Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
Thaircamper includes a hand pump for use as a backup and for more gradually fine-tuning pressure.
—New Atlas, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The main screen displays all the backup devices linked to your account.
—Justin Pot, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026
Even if his career has mostly seen rotational work and special teams snaps, Locke’s high floor provides Dallas with a consistent presence from a backup player.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back (up)
Verb
-
There have been instances in which two of the three have played together, such as Monday with Bader and Lee, but that trio won’t have many opportunities to gel and mesh before Opening Night against the New York Yankees on March 25.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Her hair was gelled down by Anthony Martinez, adding to the wet vibe of her look.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
My Proustian madeleine is a sandwich comprised of walnut butter, cream cheese, and Medjool date jam slathered on thick slices of black bread.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Prepared horseradish, onion jam, and Dijon mustard add a flavorful zing to your classic roast beef sandwich.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Her replacement outfit was an Alber Elbaz Lanvin pleated knee-length—black and funerary, like the Balenciaga, but much more forgiving.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Teruaki Sato hit a game-tying RBI double before Shota Morishita, who entered the game as an injury replacement for Seiya Suziki, belted a three-run home run to give Japan a 5-2 lead.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In most cases, the natural tendency to organize large teams into smaller groups wins out, and flat teams end up establishing makeshift hierarchies in the absence of formal ones.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The government, meanwhile, is using Lebanon's largest sports stadium as a makeshift shelter, where Nazha, her husband and more than 800 other people have been sleeping in the semiopen corridors under the stands.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Santee Alley was born out of unconventionality with its makeshift stores designed to break retail rules.—
Lilliam Rivera,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The statistics appear to bear out the president’s rosy assessment.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Do not use warm or hot water since this can actually cause the blood to coagulate.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
20 Jan. 2026
-
The honey was too thick and caused the sauce to kind of coagulate.—
Brittany Loggins,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
As that Arizona porch proved, a camera lens is a catastrophically poor substitute for a human gaze.—
Neal K. Shah,
Boston Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
-
They are embedded infrastructure for which the world has no easy substitute.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Iran has asserted its influence across the Middle East through its proxy forces in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen's Houthis.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Its stockpile of ballistic missiles and drones, hegemonic strategy and sponsorship of proxy groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are existential threats to the Jewish state.—
Ghassan E. El-Eid,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20%28up%29. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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