as in aids
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 backstops
Senior goalkeeper Giada McGlynn backstops a defense led by juniors Payton Cable, Sophia Duncan and Kasey Glynn and sophomore Sahana Raju.
—
Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstops
Verb
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Regular watering also aids nutrient uptake, prevents water stress that can stall development, and results in a bigger harvest.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
23 May 2026
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The Tea3 Foundation aids children, military members and animals.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2026
Verb
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The engine likely also assists in generating onboard power of 1 kilowatt (1 kW).—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
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Where Learning Meets the Workforce An instructor assists a student with Swift programming in Miami Dade College’s hands-on learning environment.—
Miami Dade College,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The collaboration comes after Ephea was incubated by Kering’s Material Innovation Lab in Milan, which identifies, evolves, and helps to operationalize hundreds of alternative materials, with the hope of embedding them into brand collections.—
Bella Webb,
Vogue,
11 June 2026
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The head is brown to black and has several ivory to yellowish spots, which helps separate it from its native counterpart, the smoke-tree sharpshooter.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backstops.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstops. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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