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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• backings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of backing

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

Example Sentences

"Quacking" reproachfully, it was lowered through the hatch and placed in the tank, which was then pumped full of salt water.

From Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung by Brey, Charles

Related Words

• advocacy
• aid
• assistance
• encouragement
• endorsement
• help
• sponsorship
• subsidy