1
as in jams
a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement
there was the inevitable backup of travelers trying to pass through airport security
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in replacements
a person or thing that takes the place of another
you didn't get the lead position, but you can be the backup to the chosen singer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backups
The free-agent signings of Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean form a strong tandem, but none of their current backups saw much playing time in 2025.
—
Sam Warren, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Meanwhile, the CEOs and representatives of all the involved companies—Anthropic, which makes Claude; Railway, the cloud service provider that hosted the backups; and PocketOS—are pointing fingers at each other.
—Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
Second-year guard Saniya Rivers, who mostly played the two or three last season, ran point in the starting lineup with Leger-Walker and second-year guard Migna Toure coming in as her backups, and the lack of experience in the team’s ball-handlers was apparent in their turnover woes.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Georgia coach Kirby Smart came away pleased with the overall development of his team, even hinting that a few backups pushed previous starters for their jobs.
—Connor Riley, AJC.com, 29 Apr. 2026
In a statement to ABC News on Wednesday, Railway founder and CEO Jake Cooper confirmed his team was able to restore PocketOS' backups 30 minutes after connecting with Crane.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
The stickers are also used as backups in case the main, larger tags applied around handles fall off or are damaged.
—Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
Right now, backups at the exit spilling out onto I-70 can create dangerous conditions.
—Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Anderson made arguably the best pass of the day among the backups – a 15-yard pass to Spafford, the only touchdown thrown by someone other than Mensah on Saturday.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Sam Warren, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Meanwhile, the CEOs and representatives of all the involved companies—Anthropic, which makes Claude; Railway, the cloud service provider that hosted the backups; and PocketOS—are pointing fingers at each other.
—Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
Second-year guard Saniya Rivers, who mostly played the two or three last season, ran point in the starting lineup with Leger-Walker and second-year guard Migna Toure coming in as her backups, and the lack of experience in the team’s ball-handlers was apparent in their turnover woes.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Georgia coach Kirby Smart came away pleased with the overall development of his team, even hinting that a few backups pushed previous starters for their jobs.
—Connor Riley, AJC.com, 29 Apr. 2026
In a statement to ABC News on Wednesday, Railway founder and CEO Jake Cooper confirmed his team was able to restore PocketOS' backups 30 minutes after connecting with Crane.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
The stickers are also used as backups in case the main, larger tags applied around handles fall off or are damaged.
—Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
Right now, backups at the exit spilling out onto I-70 can create dangerous conditions.
—Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Anderson made arguably the best pass of the day among the backups – a 15-yard pass to Spafford, the only touchdown thrown by someone other than Mensah on Saturday.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backups
Noun
-
The outing wasn’t free of some jams, but Wright worked out of them with poise.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Arndt allowed baserunners in each of the first five innings but wiggled out of most of the jams.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The company has received 5,952 reports involving DC-DC converter replacements, but these have resulted in no accidents or injuries.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
27 Apr. 2026
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By addressing messes quickly and effectively, these types of products can help prevent stains, odors, and wear that often lead to deeper cleaning, repairs, or replacements.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Every Gothic cathedral is the product of ideas that altered over generations, ambitions abandoned or superseded, compromises with ballooning budgets, labor shortages, or bottlenecks in the supply chain from quarries and forests and mines.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
23 Apr. 2026
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Producing more oil does not eliminate volatility if economies remain tied to global pricing mechanisms and physical bottlenecks that constrain supply movement.—
Tenzin Seldon,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
When Ponce and Brizuela played in the World Cup, there was no controversy because both were substitutes, and Brizuela’s nationality was only revealed after the tournament.—
Carlos Rodriguez,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Although schools are open with substitutes, the strike has consumed about 6% of the academic year.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backups. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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