as in inventories
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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Recent Examples of backlogs
Our first foray with AI as part of the IRS modernization push was fixing the taxpayer service hotline, which had persistent backlogs, long wait times, and inconsistent answers.
—
Danny Werfel, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026
Natural gas plants can take five to seven years to construct due to backlogs of the necessary turbines.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Every month of permitting delays or grid interconnection backlogs is a month where investment risks flowing elsewhere.
—Stuart Loren, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
County officials said the funding will boost anti-human trafficking efforts and expand services for survivors of domestic violence by centralizing support at the Family Justice Center, which launched in May last year, while also adding two criminalists to reduce forensic testing backlogs.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
The spending plans have bolstered European defense primes, some of which have seen their shares more than double in value, while order backlogs have hit record levels.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
With the rule changes happening after a year, where CBS Chicago investigators last year exposed issues with the IRS backlogs, coinciding with staffing issues and thousands of jobs cut.
—Tara Molina, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The rule of law requires a justice system that works with some speed, but America’s immigration courts are carrying massive backlogs.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Certification of new conditions has slowed, staffing shortages persist at some clinical sites, and administrative backlogs have delayed care for certain patients, Chevat said.
—Liz Neporent, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2026
Danny Werfel, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026
Natural gas plants can take five to seven years to construct due to backlogs of the necessary turbines.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Every month of permitting delays or grid interconnection backlogs is a month where investment risks flowing elsewhere.
—Stuart Loren, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
County officials said the funding will boost anti-human trafficking efforts and expand services for survivors of domestic violence by centralizing support at the Family Justice Center, which launched in May last year, while also adding two criminalists to reduce forensic testing backlogs.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
The spending plans have bolstered European defense primes, some of which have seen their shares more than double in value, while order backlogs have hit record levels.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
With the rule changes happening after a year, where CBS Chicago investigators last year exposed issues with the IRS backlogs, coinciding with staffing issues and thousands of jobs cut.
—Tara Molina, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The rule of law requires a justice system that works with some speed, but America’s immigration courts are carrying massive backlogs.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Certification of new conditions has slowed, staffing shortages persist at some clinical sites, and administrative backlogs have delayed care for certain patients, Chevat said.
—Liz Neporent, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backlogs
Noun
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The warnings come as technology companies looking to cash in on the AI boom through aggressive investments in AI infrastructure are straining memory chip inventories, leaving manufacturers in other memory-intensive sectors, like smartphone and PC producers, scrambling to secure chip supplies.—
Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
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Key reports on building inventories and retail sales will be released along with the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.—
Kyle Arnold,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
When the power fails, businesses close, employees lose wages, and spoiled inventory piles up.—
Israel Melendez Ayala,
Time,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Defeat piles pressure on Starmer before May elections Labour won just over half the vote in Gorton and Denton at the last general election in 2024.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In areas of intense fighting — especially in Darfur — famine is spreading and food and basic supplies are scarce.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The warnings come as technology companies looking to cash in on the AI boom through aggressive investments in AI infrastructure are straining memory chip inventories, leaving manufacturers in other memory-intensive sectors, like smartphone and PC producers, scrambling to secure chip supplies.—
Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Once fully operational, the hotel plans to invite local DJs to share selections from their personal collections on the weekends.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Her Meryll Rogge collections are full of color, wit, and sophistication, but always with a dash of the unexpected.—
Nicole Phelps,
Vogue,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
These transients have brightnesses in between that of classical novas, triggered when a white dwarf hoards material from a companion star thus sparking a runaway nuclear explosion, and supernovas that mark the death of a massive star and the birth of a black hole or a neutron star.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
McCarthy, in 2014, speculated there could be other hoards of coins out there.—
Justin Pot,
Popular Science,
24 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Texas Longhorns have a down year financially The campaign funds did not flow as freely for the Longhorns in the 2025 fiscal year.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
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For the better part of 2024, Dech has spearheaded the railroad’s lobbying campaign to restore the money which was cut, a move that Dech estimates would bring Tri-Rail to a halt by July 2027 if the funds were not replaced.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In 2015, President Barack Obama's administration struck a deal with Iran and other global powers to limit the country's uranium stockpiles and enrichment capacity for a set period of time, and to submit Iran's nuclear program to IAEA monitoring, in exchange for sanctions relief.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
20 Feb. 2026
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Keeping those stockpiles high, regardless of the sport, is critical, Mower says—although perhaps not solely with bagels.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hundreds of motorists were stranded on Rhode Island roads, trapped by accumulations measured in feet — more than 3 feet in northern parts of the state.—
Lynne Sullivan,
The Providence Journal,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Städdag prevents those slow accumulations from turning into all-day cleaning projects.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backlogs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backlogs. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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