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)
Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
Yet Husso solidified himself as the backup and further cemented his role when Petr Mrázek underwent season-ending hip surgery.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026
Then about an hour prior to tipoff, he was deemed out, leaving the backup point guard duties mostly to rookie Sion James.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Noun
Running even one WordPress site usually means juggling hosting, domains, SSL, and backups.
—Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
Yet Husso solidified himself as the backup and further cemented his role when Petr Mrázek underwent season-ending hip surgery.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Always have a backup plan for when roasting hot dogs and s’mores over an open flame doesn’t work out.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026
Then about an hour prior to tipoff, he was deemed out, leaving the backup point guard duties mostly to rookie Sion James.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back (up)
Verb
-
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
-
There was no guarantee this collection of players would gel at all, let alone at the exact right time.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Offerings have since expanded to include homemade jams, dog treats, soaps and, of course, bread.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The Rockies took their second lead on Brett Sullivan’s leadoff double in the 11th before Jeremiah Estrada and Morgan worked out of that jam.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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With Kayla McBride turning 34 in June, Fudd would act as her future replacement long term and an instant deep-threat contributor right away.—
Matthew Coller,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Klassen, 24, was a last-minute rotation replacement when Ryan Johnson got sick.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The songs, by Randy Newman, are simple but charming little ditties, particularly the ensemble numbers where this makeshift band of misfits express their devotion to one another.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The dome became a makeshift stage in the middle of the field.—
Niyaz Pirani,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If Pantheon’s math bears out, the increase in gas prices would account for more than two-thirds of the firm’s projected 1% monthly increase in the overall CPI.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
-
This is an organization that was born out of the rubble of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and which caused the deaths of twenty thousand people.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Resident teachers, or teachers in training, will be the substitutes.—
Lacey Beasley,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Those patterns suggest that, at least so far, AI has acted as a productivity-enhancing tool that boosts employment and wages rather than a simple substitute for labor.—
Christos Makridis,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy terror group in Lebanon, continued overnight and this morning.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
This is, in a sense, a proxy war, but one in which America is the proxy.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20%28up%29. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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