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
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
The sidelining of the European Union and the United Kingdom — who have funneled more than $160 billion in aid and military equipment to Ukraine since February 2022 — has fueled fears that the region can no longer rely on the US to backstop its security.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
As is normal in our current system, additional firefighters from outside the local area arrived to backstop the initial responders when they were exhausted after their 24- or 48-hour shifts.
—Jay Balagna, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstop
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
The sidelining of the European Union and the United Kingdom — who have funneled more than $160 billion in aid and military equipment to Ukraine since February 2022 — has fueled fears that the region can no longer rely on the US to backstop its security.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
As is normal in our current system, additional firefighters from outside the local area arrived to backstop the initial responders when they were exhausted after their 24- or 48-hour shifts.
—Jay Balagna, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstop
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstop
Verb
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By the 2030s, the advent of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is anticipated to usher in monumental changes, ranging from aiding in household chores such as cooking and cleaning to transforming our approach to everyday life on a grand scale.—
Sandeep Shivam,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Epstein's former girlfriend and associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was sentenced in 2022 for aiding Epstein in the trafficking of minors and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Alpine Rescue, Guardia di Finanza Rescue and Italy's Carabinieri (a military organization similar to the police) all assisted in the recovery efforts.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
2 June 2025
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The Aurora Police Department, Aurora Township Fire Department and Kane County Drone Team assisted the Kane County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the incident, per the release.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
Verb
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As the Hall of Fame notes, the group was heavily influenced by Black musician Lesley Riddle, who helped A.P. with songs and taught Maybelle his guitar style.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 May 2025
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This change likely helped these Anna’s hummingbirds conserve heat, since their beaks help with thermoregulation, as the team showed with an infrared camera.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Arafat would similarly reject peace with Israel, support terrorism, and murder rivals and critics.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
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The new numbers might be a little confusing at first, especially for the period of overlap where Apple is actively supporting (say) macOS 14, macOS 15, and macOS 26.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstop. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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