backlog

noun

Definition of backlognext
as in inventory
a large number of jobs or items that are waiting to be finished or processed We have a huge backlog of orders yet to be filled.

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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 backlog The Memphis Police Department had begun chipping away at a backlog of cold cases as early as 2023, even as the department struggled with low staffing. — Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2026 Court officials have long been aware of the backlogs wracking this system, even publishing a law review article about it in 2003. — Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026 And there were labor shortages too, which created backlogs on orders. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026 Sure, a big backlog of your spooky favorites can be a joy, but keeping up with this slate can feel like a chore. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for backlog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backlog
  1. inventory
  2. supply
  3. collection
  4. pile
  5. accumulation
  6. hoard
  7. cache
  8. stockpile
Noun
  • Eateries, stores and other businesses that received the oysters should check their inventory and ensure the affected products are no longer sold or served.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • More positively, Netflix should benefit from more sports inventory this year, in addition to efforts to bundle its offerings with those of other streaming services.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of inventory
Noun
  • The Patriot ammunition Ukraine needs is in short supply and is also required elsewhere in the world, Rubio said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Radar systems detect incoming threats and supply information that helps defensive missiles engage their targets.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of supply
Noun
  • Marshall’s medical debt practices After the two candidates took the stage, Holt asked Marshall to respond to criticism of his medical debt collection practices.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • At some point, Bernard decides to give a bedroom tour, showing off his collection of Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy posters.
    — Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of collection
Noun
  • Hours later, a group of rescuers in hard hats were using poles stripped from trees to poke at the huge pile of rubble.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • There was a basket with lemons, each one tied with red curling ribbon, fish spices stacked, the register with all the keys covered by a silicone hood, and a pile of newspapers next to a pile of wrapping sheets.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of pile
Noun
  • Additional snow accumulations of 2 to 6 inches with 8 to 10 inches along the highest mountain peaks.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This cancer is caused by the accumulation of certain genetic mutations that prevent rectal cells from repairing DNA damage and accounts for 5-10% of rectal cancers.
    — Alice Park, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of accumulation
Noun
  • Though the hoard was discovered last year, officials only recently announced the find, calling it the largest coin hoard from the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian ever found in Germany.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The film follows a group of adults in an isolated Pennsylvania farmhouse, as hoards of flesh-eating ghouls overrun the country and infiltrate their residence.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hoard
Noun
  • That competitiveness, along with California’s sizable cache of electoral votes, helped boost Reagan’s political standing nationally.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The massive cache of new solutions includes full or partial results for many of the problems mathematicians have considered the most important to the field.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of cache
Noun
  • However, not all of those weapons came from American military stockpiles; some were manufactured through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative or provided by European countries.
    — James LaPorta, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But the interceptors are both expensive and in short supply globally, as other countries have burned through their stockpiles or sought to shore up their own defense systems amid the war in Iran.
    — Victoria Butenko, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of stockpile

Browse Nearby Words

backlashes
backlog
backlogs
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Cite this Entry

“Backlog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backlog. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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