1
as in to testify (to)
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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
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as in makeshift
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of back (up)
Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Joining the Chiefs The seventh round presented the perfect window for the Chiefs to make a play for a low-risk, high-reward quarterback with Nussmeier’s background — even after trading for a backup (Justin Fields) this offseason.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Goga Bitadze has also provided key blocks – two each in Games 4 and 5 – while helping clean up the glass as Orlando’s backup center this series.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Noun
No fuckboy could stand a chance, anyway, pitted against Nelson as her backup.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Joining the Chiefs The seventh round presented the perfect window for the Chiefs to make a play for a low-risk, high-reward quarterback with Nussmeier’s background — even after trading for a backup (Justin Fields) this offseason.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
There has never been a backup plan.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Goga Bitadze has also provided key blocks – two each in Games 4 and 5 – while helping clean up the glass as Orlando’s backup center this series.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back (up)
Verb
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Families pile in with kids decked out in their Sunday best — bows in their hair, fluffy dresses, cowlicks gelled down.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
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Some recipes also include pectin, a natural gelling agent that helps the jam set to a spreadable texture.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Many of the major players during the formative years of psychedelia and jam-rock during the 1960s and ‘70s had bluegrass somewhere in their foundation — Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Moby Grape.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Jam cakes are a popular vintage recipe from all over the South, but the type of jam is usually dependent on what's fresh in the area.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But Democrats said there has been a history of Republican majorities overriding Democratic recommendations when choosing replacements on boards.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
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Jaber would also like to see another Arab American serving on the school board, which has seen multiple resignations and replacements in the past few years.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Adjective
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Gary Wilcox, a member of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, concluded his opening remarks at the May Day protest with a blessing of the Miccosukee Tribe’s land, which is adjacent to the makeshift immigration detention camp, saying real suffering is happening to those being caged under the tents.—
Churchill Ndonwie
May 2,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
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In a makeshift demonstration kitchen in Concord, California, cooking oil splatters in and around a frying pan, which catches fire on an unattended gas stove.—
Cyrus Farivar,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The actual company was born out of a conversation Bezos, long a science fiction enthusiast, had with friend and science fiction author Neal Stephenson, who became the company’s first employee.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 May 2026
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One philosophy argues that judges should be completely independent and not subject to the volatile forces of public opinion, while the other, borne out of corruption concerns in the 1800s and early 1900s, argues that judges should be less beholden to politicians, and voters should have a voice.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As most of the scientific books tell us, coagulating protein at lower temperatures produces more tender clumps; adding a little water or cream makes an omelet tenderer still.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
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Two dented blue bottles of Cuajo Titanium, a liquid coagulating enzyme used to curdle milk, remained on a wooden table, caked in mud.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The substitute looks up and sends a shot crashing against the post from a tight angle.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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In 2025, the CMS Fraud Defense Operations Center stopped nearly $185 million in improper payments to suspect providers billing for skin substitutes.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That set off alarm bells at leading proxy advisory services and shareholders voted by a large margin to reject the parachute at a special meeting last week.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2026
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Of the remaining 11 that did address tariffs in proxy statements, eight made adjustments meant to minimize the hit to incentive plan payouts.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20%28up%29. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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