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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backstop
France and the United Kingdom, meanwhile, will need to think hard about how their nuclear forces can backstop the continent’s conventional forces in an independent European deterrence strategy.
—
Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2025
Now, Trevino is poised to backstop a promising young Reds team that has hopes of returning to the postseason under new manager Terry Francona — and will stick around beyond this season.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Longtime Pirates backstop Jason Kendall did it the most — 463 times — while Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus tried a handful of times during his 18-year career.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025
Some commentators don’t like the idea of potentially using taxpayer funds to backstop the price of crypto, a speculative digital asset with limited (some would say nonexistent) underlying value.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstop
Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2025
Now, Trevino is poised to backstop a promising young Reds team that has hopes of returning to the postseason under new manager Terry Francona — and will stick around beyond this season.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Longtime Pirates backstop Jason Kendall did it the most — 463 times — while Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus tried a handful of times during his 18-year career.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025
Some commentators don’t like the idea of potentially using taxpayer funds to backstop the price of crypto, a speculative digital asset with limited (some would say nonexistent) underlying value.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstop
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstop
Verb
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The win was aided by Acuña’s spectacular ninth-inning catch of a Pete Alonso fly ball to start a double play, and ended with Austin Riley’s walk-off sacrifice fly to the center-field wall in the 10th inning.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
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Both Elba and Nas stand as executive producers, with seasoned British-Nigerian director Meji Alabi aiding with execution.—
Ime Ekpo,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Verb
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From generating boilerplate code to assisting with architecture diagrams, AI is now part of the daily workflow.—
Sebastian Avila,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
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The goal is for swarms of these tiny robots to one day assist with tasks like rescue missions or artificial pollination.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Bird believes that incoming expansion will help remedy the issue.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
20 June 2025
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And some newer conversion kits act something like a treadmill mounted to your bike, using rollers to help propel your wheel forward.—
Michael Venutolo-Mantovani,
Wired News,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Because social engineering and human error are such significant threat vectors, equipping your teams with robust processes and skills to effectively manage database risks can also support a strong security posture.—
Jakub Lamik,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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Created by philanthropists Ronald and Charlene Esserman to help support South Florida journalism, the Esserman-Knight Journalism Awards is supported by the Esserman Family Fund for Investigative Journalism at the Miami Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstop. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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