back (up) 1 of 3

verb

Definition of back (up)next
1
as in to testify (to)

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2
as in to gel

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backup

2 of 3

noun

ˈbak-ˌəp How to pronounce backup (audio)
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

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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

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backup

3 of 3

adjective

as in makeshift

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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 back (up)
Noun
Wilson was eventually demoted, making Winston the primary backup. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026 This First Alert model plugs into a standard outlet and sounds an 85-decibel alarm if elevated CO levels are detected, while a battery backup keeps it monitoring even during a power outage. — Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2026
Adjective
Urban was married to Kidman, and Lopez was dating her backup dancer, Casper Smart. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 11 Oct. 2026 Instead, third-string running back Evan Pryor, on the field because backup Duke Clark suffered an ankle injury minutes earlier, got caught up 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back (up)
  1. gel
  2. jam
  3. replacement
  4. makeshift
  5. coagulate
  6. substitute
  7. proxy
  8. harden
Verb
  • Gash’s weakest moments come in times like these, when the band strips back its sound into solitary parts that fail to gel.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Nowhere has that been more evident than in Mbappe and Vinicius Jr’s failure to gel together.
    — Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of gel
Noun
  • The Guardians had a runner on first with one out in the third when second baseman Ben Williamson robbed DeLauter of a hit that prevented a first-and-third jam.
    — Rob Maaddi, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Besides her own headlining set, karaoke queen Clarkson is sure to be asked to stick around for the festival’s traditional closing night jam of all-1990s covers.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of jam
Noun
  • That includes construction, improvement, maintenance, repair and replacement of streets and sidewalks, as well as drainage, sewers and other related infrastructure.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The infrastructure work to create the tunnel, including road and drainage replacement, life safety systems and adding the structural elements, does not allow for separate lane closures, according to project information.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of replacement
Adjective
  • Kisky wasted no time bailing out of his makeshift observation post.
    — Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Outside their perimeters, vendors hawked noodles and cigarettes from makeshift stalls.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of makeshift
Verb
  • These high-acidity juices can cause whey protein powder to coagulate and curdle.
    — Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Reciprocal male-on-male mounting among corpse-eating burying beetles increases with heat stress, and chronic heat stress coagulates the blood of Holstein Friesian cattle.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of coagulate
Noun
  • Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola dropped Virgil van Dijk to the substitutes’ bench with French defender Jérémy Jacquet starting.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But there’s no substitute, at the end of the day, for the human biologist.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of substitute
Adjective
  • Rivalries between these countries manifest in proxy struggles.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The conflict has also turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the United States long involved on the periphery, providing intelligence assistance to the kingdom.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of proxy
Verb
  • As cleanliness standards harden, so does a guest’s leverage when something’s visibly wrong.
    — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Now the companies that recover fastest treat a short, honest, imperfect first statement as more valuable than a polished one that arrives after the narrative has already hardened.
    — Ronn Torossian, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of harden

Browse Nearby Words

backtracks
back (up)
backup
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Cite this Entry

“Back (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20%28up%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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