backing

[ bak-ing ]

noun

1. aid or support of any kind.

   Synonyms: sponsorship, encouragement, patronage, sanction, 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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of backing¹

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

Example Sentences

Launched four years ago with the backing of Elon Musk, Neuralink has been working on futuristic neural interfaces that seamlessly listen in on the brain’s electrical signals, and at the same time, “write” into the brain with electrical pulses.

From Singularity Hub 

Billions of dollars in backing from major Hollywood studios.

From Digiday

We haven’t seen any polls here, but Gurtler appears to have the most financial backing, even though Clyde had outraised Gurtler about $877,000 to $660,000 as of July 22.

From FiveThirtyEight

How a UBI can be initiated with political will and social backing and paid for by governments has been hotly debated by economists and UBI enthusiasts.

From Singularity Hub 

Bobby Duffy, King’s College London and Daniel Allington, King’s College LondonThere remains near-universal backing for the coronavirus lockdown among the UK public.

From No Straight News

Fuming Iranian officials blamed the United States and United Kingdom for backing the militants, and Pakistan for inaction.

From The Daily Beast

Confusion about who is financially backing the project is mounting.

From The Daily Beast

Bereft of a competitive 2016 primary, Democrats are backing candidates for Clinton campaign manager.

From The Daily Beast

Finally, after a decade of civil war, America's backing for the Salvadoran regime came to an end.

From The Daily Beast

Their uneven threads showed potential for backing out or breaking, he said.

From The Daily Beast

"Ah, then I shall meet them at noon," replied the smart officer, backing his bay horse.

From Project Gutenberg

Dark rumours of shady things which had been done in his name rendered men shy of backing his horses.

From Project Gutenberg

He kept his promise and had the satisfaction of knowing that both his clients were backing him heartily.

From Project Gutenberg

"Yes, I'll write," nodded Quentina, backing sorrowfully away.

From Project Gutenberg

Too much care cannot be taken to obtain both facing and backing bricks of equal size.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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