backup

backup

noun

Definition of BACKUP

1

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 backup, bottleneck, jam-up, logjam, snarl, tailback [British], tie-up

Related Words tangle; gridlock, lock; congestion, traffic; crawl, delay, slowdown, stoppage

2

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 backup, cover, designated hitter, fill-in, locum tenens, pinch hitter, relief, replacement, reserve, stand-in, sub

Related Words alternate, understudy; apology, makeshift, stopgap; agent, assignee, attorney, commissary, delegate, deputy, envoy, factor, procurator, proxy, rep, representative, surrogate; assistant, reliever, second; successor, superseder