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Synonyms

backing

American  
[bak-ing] / ˈbæk ɪŋ /

noun

  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

Etymology

Origin of backing

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

Vocabulary lists containing backing

Analyzing Arguments: From Reading to Writing (Chapter 3)

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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.

Saudi Arabia’s flagship wealth fund is known for backing costly ideas overflowing with ambition, from building a futuristic city to creating a golf circuit to rival the PGA Tour.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

They were backing away from the playoffs, not heading toward them.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

That's right, I am backing Eddie - the law of averages means he has to get a result against Bournemouth some day.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Shares have since bounced back after the company announced in February it was backing out of the bidding war by not matching Paramount’s latest offer.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

We set up our tents in a semicircle, backing onto the woods, midway between their fire and the cliff.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.