as in to aid
to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end
the Nobel-winning geneticist was of course backstopped in his research by a team of highly talented assistants
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Recent Examples of backstop
Because the White House can subsidize lithium, Congress can fast-track permitting and the Pentagon can backstop rare earth processors, but if no one’s available to drill, blast, haul or refine, the whole thing falls apart.
—
Anthony Milewski, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers voted earlier this week to kick in $50 million — drawing down about $100 million in federal matching funds — to backstop insurers, Conway said.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 29 Aug. 2025
European allies are working on options for a multinational security force that could backstop a peace deal.
—Jasmine Baehr , Liz Friden, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Kyiv’s European allies are looking to set up a force that could backstop any peace agreement, and a coalition of 30 countries, including European nations, Japan and Australia, has signed up to support the initiative.
—Sam McNeil, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstop
Anthony Milewski, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers voted earlier this week to kick in $50 million — drawing down about $100 million in federal matching funds — to backstop insurers, Conway said.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 29 Aug. 2025
European allies are working on options for a multinational security force that could backstop a peace deal.
—Jasmine Baehr , Liz Friden, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Kyiv’s European allies are looking to set up a force that could backstop any peace agreement, and a coalition of 30 countries, including European nations, Japan and Australia, has signed up to support the initiative.
—Sam McNeil, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstop
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstop
Verb
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The album’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across six vinyl variants (including one signed), four CD variants (one signed) and a standard digital download album (all with the same tracklist).—
Keith Caulfield,
Billboard,
9 Nov. 2025
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Spirits Spirits are disembodied beings who are occasionally called upon to aid specific humans (usually witches), but can sometimes become harmful.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Sullivan also assisted on the Americans’ opening goal, a 30th-minute finish tucked away by Charlotte FC homegrown Nimfasha Berchimas.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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The Elmore County Sheriff’s Office assisted the agency.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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For example, Smith said, in a major city during a holiday weekend, Prepared’s technology helped reduce the number of emergency calls operators had to handle by by 33% because AI was able to deal with non-critical calls like noise complaints.—
Julie Coleman,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
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Han says the funds raised through the Hong Kong listing will help the robotaxi firm continue to spend on R&D and deployment.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Invest in fiction written by humans and so support human creativity, vocations, and organic economies?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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The Football Association of Ireland passed the resolution, proposed by Irish club Bohemians, with more than 50% of its delegates supporting it.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstop. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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