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Synonyms

backing

American  
[bak-ing] / ˈbæk ɪŋ /

noun

  • backings
    plural
  1. aid or support of any kind.

    Synonyms:
    encouragement, patronage, sanction, sponsorship, endorsement, assistance, help
  2. supporters or backers collectively.

  3. something that forms the back or is placed at or attached to the back of anything to support, strengthen, or protect it.

  4. Theater. a curtain or flat placed behind a window, entrance, or other opening in a stage set to conceal the offstage area.

  5. material for backing a joist or rafter.

  6. a bevel given to the outer and upper edge of a hip rafter.

  7. the musical accompaniment for a soloist; backup.


backing British  
/ ˈbækɪŋ /

noun

  1. support given to a person, cause, or enterprise

  2. a body of supporters

  3. something that forms, protects, supports, or strengthens the back of something

  4. theatre a scenic cloth or flat placed behind a window, door, etc, in a set to mask the offstage space

  5. musical accompaniment, esp for a pop singer

  6. the support in gold or precious metals for a country's issue of money in notes

  7. meteorol an anticlockwise change in wind direction

  8. a passageway running behind a row of terraced houses

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of backing

First recorded in 1590–1600; back 1 + -ing 1


Vocabulary lists containing backing

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It estimates that AI media companies with $2 billion in backing have converged on the city.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

More than 15,000 people signed her petition, and the campaign also won the backing of two former prime ministers, several MPs, influential figures, mental health advocates, and online safety experts.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Numerous foreign paramilitaries have been seen in the vast, unstable central African country, where locals say they are backing the ill-armed government forces against the M23.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Algiers started backing the Polisario soon after the movement’s founding in 1973.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

When I was at last backing her into the shafts, Dad called me over to the barn door.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Many of Clarke's poems were originally released with musical backings masterminded by producer Martin Hannett, who was known for his work with Joy Division.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025

At that point, bank targets may be persuaded to do deals not because they need the liquidity, but to show they have the backings of large institutional investors.

From Reuters ● Mar. 14, 2023

Dennis Reed, a proprietor of Hi-Tek Redneck Karaoke & DJ Service, served as the M.C. while overseeing the sound system and musical backings.

From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2022

Ms. Kokoszka described the members as having “unselfishly donated their time, talents, fabrics, battings, backings, bindings and labels for the making of the quilts each of our honored guests will receive tonight.”

From Washington Times ● Oct. 24, 2020

We make complicated floral patterns with a compass, we glue odd substances to cardboard backings: feathers, sequins, pieces of macaroni garishly dyed, lengths of drinking straw.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

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