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
Relevance
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
1
as in to testify (to)
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in makeshift
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of back (up)
James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Companies can reduce attrition by providing flexible work options, childcare subsidies, and backup care supports.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
While Christensen is listed as Ekwonu’s immediate backup on the unofficial depth chart, the Panthers have been giving Nijman reps at the position in practice as well.
—Mike Kaye
september 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Verb
According to the Jaguars' depth chart for Week 1, Hunter has been named a starting wide receiver but a backup cornerback.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Companies can reduce attrition by providing flexible work options, childcare subsidies, and backup care supports.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Pro Mark Ballas is back, while former Taylor Swift backup dancer Jan Ravnik is now vying for the Mirror Ball Trophy.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
While Christensen is listed as Ekwonu’s immediate backup on the unofficial depth chart, the Panthers have been giving Nijman reps at the position in practice as well.
—Mike Kaye
september 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back (up)
Noun
-
Trailing by three runs, Cora gave the ball to left-hander Justin Wilson, who struck out three straight Diamondbacks to escape the jam and keep his team in the game.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Our Cal-Italia pizza is a white pizza with fig jam, aged balsamic and Prosciutto di Parma.—
Liza B. Zimmerman,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But the manager did bring Crow-Armstrong into the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the ninth inning.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
This is a possible replacement for GPS, or the Global Positioning System, which recent events have shown is dangerously hackable and jammable.—
John Koetsier,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Things begin to gel halfway through the season, especially as more aspects of the characters’ personalities and personal lives are revealed.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The early reaction from critics on the Lido has been all over the map, with some raves, some middling scores and some who didn’t gel with the movie — or its leads — at all.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
It hadn't been fired and had a scope attached to it in a makeshift manner using electrical tape.—
Greg Allen,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The latest scramble completed, punctuating the next step in searching for a program-defining victory, Kelvin Durham took both hands and turned them into makeshift ear muffs while sauntering to the sideline.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
So flavorful is Mendel that 3BR often uses it as a substitute for gin in cocktails made in the distillery tasting room.—
Don Tse,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering news from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Thus far, these (and similar) ideas have failed to lead to a discovery of new physics, or to observations that bear out their predictions.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Every book is born out of love, every story told for a reason.—
Adam Verner
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The basketball gods have handed us an opportunity — a chance to stir up a rivalry that has been sitting cold and coagulating on the back burner for far too long.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Within hours the pool would coagulate into electric-blue slush, like a gas station Slurpee.—
Alec Luhn,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
Emboldened, Iran began reviving or confecting proxy forces in yet more locations.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The group, also known as Ansar Allah, forms part of Tehran's wider proxy network that Israel has now vowed to eliminate.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Back (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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