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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of backups
If that's not an option, copy backups from your external drive or cloud storage onto the new computer.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
That’s because so many of them are backups who practiced alongside Jones and the second-team offense throughout the summer.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The offensive line -- playing with backups Cole Strange and Larry Borom on the right side -- acquitted itself nicely Monday.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Guard Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, was a three-year starter in Portland, but free agent pickups Luka Garza, Josh Minott and Chris Boucher are career backups, and Hugo Gonzalez is a 19-year-old rookie.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Other areas of heavy I-70 traffic could include Floyd Hill and the stretch between Evergreen and Georgetown, as well as backups between Georgetown and Grant as vehicles wait to exit toward Guanella Pass.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
This crew comes together as pieces—the four of us and our backups—but the six of us make up a whole team.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Notorious backups occur daily at the tracks.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2025
At Nissan's Advanced Technical Center in Silicon Valley, researchers are working to make traffic backups a thing of the past.
—Stuart Dyos, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
That’s because so many of them are backups who practiced alongside Jones and the second-team offense throughout the summer.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The offensive line -- playing with backups Cole Strange and Larry Borom on the right side -- acquitted itself nicely Monday.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Guard Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, was a three-year starter in Portland, but free agent pickups Luka Garza, Josh Minott and Chris Boucher are career backups, and Hugo Gonzalez is a 19-year-old rookie.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Other areas of heavy I-70 traffic could include Floyd Hill and the stretch between Evergreen and Georgetown, as well as backups between Georgetown and Grant as vehicles wait to exit toward Guanella Pass.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
This crew comes together as pieces—the four of us and our backups—but the six of us make up a whole team.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Notorious backups occur daily at the tracks.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2025
At Nissan's Advanced Technical Center in Silicon Valley, researchers are working to make traffic backups a thing of the past.
—Stuart Dyos, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backups
Noun
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Inside you’ll find fruit jams and pastes from tangy pineapple and strawberry to pumpkin, fig or even custard.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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No hot water baths or pressure canning, the technique uses modern day refrigerators and freezers to store small batches of homemade jams, condiments and spreads, plus chutneys, pickles, relishes and ketchups.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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One such provision was set to eliminate replacements on property taxes for all political subdivisions, a measure that critics say would cut funding to essential public services such as schools and emergency services.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Madagascar’s prime minister and cabinet ministers will operate on an interim basis until replacements are found.—
Paige Bruton,
semafor.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Surveys of developers have consistently found that waiting for quality assurance testing leads to significant bottlenecks in software development.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
24 Sep. 2025
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Annabelle Huang is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Altius Labs, a blockchain infrastructure company (backed by Founders Fund and Pantera) that focuses on solving execution performance bottlenecks.—
Annabelle Huang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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He was overshadowed by the four other second-half substitutes introduced by Hurzeler at Stamford Bridge.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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For those who may not be able to find sweetsop locally, paw paw or guava make great substitutes.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backups. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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