backed

verb

past tense of back
1
as in endorsed
to promote the interests or cause of she enthusiastically backed the plan to renovate and upgrade the school's facilities

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2
as in aided
to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end a number of influential people have already agreed to back the candidate

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in reinforced
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) the author needs to back her thesis with more facts

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 backed That result made Harwood a major outlier during an election in which voters elsewhere overwhelmingly backed measures seeking to restrict, scrutinize, or oppose data center developments. — Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2026 It is now backed by Scott Free, the production company co-founded by Ridley Scott, one of the directors who first sparked Yamazaki’s love of special effects. — Matt Alt, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026 Lee’s Summit perspectives Former Lee’s Summit Mayor Bill Baird said Patterson’s close association with Republicans came back to hurt him in a cycle when a series of unpopular ballot measures backed by Republicans brought out a swell of voters. — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2026 Last week, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani backed the candidate, who won 83% of the vote. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026 House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has backed articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth, as the Pentagon official is likely to be an early target of Democratic inquiries. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 8 Nov. 2026 Candidates backed by the CTU campaigned against school closures and a push for full state funding, which currently hovers at 70% under Illinois’ funding formula. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026 Track Pants Want to get in on the cool-girl pants trend backed by PEOPLE writers and A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence? — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026 That says a lot about how the market views Detroit at home, even though the results haven’t backed it up. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backed
  1. endorsed
  2. aided
  3. reinforced
  4. advocated
  5. assisted
  6. bolstered
  7. supported
  8. helped
Verb
  • The White House is holding out hope that the current GOP majorities can also pass a college sports reform legislation, both of which Trump endorsed earlier this year.
    — Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The Washington Education Association endorsed Brown’s 2024 campaign, according to Transparency USA.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of endorsed
Verb
  • Labat says that the more music — aided by artificial intelligence and technology — has moved away from simple approaches to lyrics and melodies, the more he’s been drawn back to them.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian aided the recently struggling QB by calling RPOs, screens and quick throws to steady the offense in the first half.
    — PJ Green November 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of aided
Verb
  • Our work on leadership and technology in sport, including our intention to create a future book on that subject, has reinforced our interest in this question.
    — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • On the one hand, this shows just how strongly officers accept the principle of civilian control—a posture reinforced precisely because Hegseth has proved willing to punish even unsupported allegations of military insubordination.
    — Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of reinforced
Verb
  • El-Sayed previously advocated government action to protect transgender students’ access to sports teams matching their gender identity.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • As senator, Brown advocated for expanding and protecting Social Security benefits.
    — Lorie Konish, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of advocated
Verb
  • Jack Hughes also assisted to extend his point streak to six games.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • According to People magazine, Doria Ragland, mother of the Duchess of Sussex, assisted the FBI and played a key role in identifying her ex-husband, leading to his arrest in Florida on November 6.
    — Antonella Rossi, Vanity Fair, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of assisted
Verb
  • And the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks had bolstered their roster by trading for All-Pro offensive lineman Quenton Nelson.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The midterm results bolstered prediction markets’ reputation as forecasting tools.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of bolstered
Verb
  • While many commissioners supported the idea, commission staff said the benchmark was too stringent to employ without understanding how the new sand placement will fare over the next few months or years.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Lokk is proud that the festival has supported the Estonian, and the broader Baltic, film industry, and vice versa, with films from the region now regularly traveling to big festivals around the globe and winning awards.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of supported
Verb
  • Vazquez also helped Wedding evade capture, prosecutors allege, by paying public officials in Mexico to slow down investigations, get rid of evidence and dismiss charges.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Chicago Bears fans are getting credit for something that happened thousands of miles away and may have helped save a life.
    — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of helped

Browse Nearby Words

backdrops
backed
backed away
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Backed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backed. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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