backlog

American  

[bak-lawg, -log] / ˈbækˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg /

noun

• backlogs
  plural

1. a reserve or accumulation, as of stock, work, or business.

   a backlog of business orders.

   Synonyms:

   reservoir, cache, fund, store, stock, supply

2. a large log at the back of a hearth to keep up a fire.

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verb (used with object)

backlogged, backlogging

1. to hold in reserve, as for future handling or repair.

2. to enter and acknowledge (an order) for future shipment.

verb (used without object)

backlogged, backlogging

1. to accumulate in a backlog.

   Orders are starting to backlog faster than we can process them.

backlog British  

/ ˈbækˌlɒɡ /

noun

1. an accumulation of uncompleted work, unsold stock, etc, to be dealt with

2. a large log at the back of a fireplace

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• backlogs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of backlog

First recorded in 1675–85; back ¹ + log ¹

Explanation

When you have extra work to do that keeps accumulating, you have a backlog. Sometimes people stay late at their jobs to take care of a backlog. A backlog of tasks might slow down an ordinary day at an office or store, or require workers to come in on the weekend to catch up. In 1680, a backlog meant "a large log placed at the back of a fireplace," and by the 1880s it came to also mean "something stored for later use." It wasn't until the early 20th century that a backlog most often referred to "extra unfulfilled orders."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

backlog backlogs backlogged backlogging

With a backlog in the criminal courts of tens of thousands of cases, prison staff say that simply isn't enough space.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Charlie Berry, policy manager at housing charity Shelter, said the announcement was "not near the level we need to truly tackle that backlog and end homelessness".

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The view reflects strong written retail sales and a solid wholesale backlog, tempered by a cautious view of the wider economic outlook, Luebke said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

More than 370,000 miles of roads were built through national forests prior to the 2001 rule, with a maintenance backlog of billions of dollars.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

Pocock now had a backlog of eight orders for eight-man shells, including requests from some of the most elite rowing programs in the country: Navy, Syracuse, Princeton, and Pennsylvania.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

There are large backlogs in cases, as well as difficulties in carrying out post-mortems.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Despite coroners ordering post-mortems for 51% of deaths reported to them, a dearth of pathologists willing to work for coroners is leading to huge backlogs of up to a year.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Experts say extended deployments cause maintenance backlogs and stress sailors, who face uncertainty over end dates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Supply-chain backlogs, permitting fights and availability of power supplies are among the issues that have caused the construction of data centers to fall behind targeted timelines this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

After the dishes were out of the way Pat built a huge fire with three great backlogs one above another and slanting back to keep them from rolling down.

From The Boy Scouts in A Trapper's Camp by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess

This is not normal; immigration court is deeply backlogged and most cases of asylum—one of the most complex forms of U.S. immigration—were being assigned well into 2029 and 2030.

From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2026

The supply chain for natural-gas-fired power plant equipment is also backlogged for years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

Pending approval by the House and signing by President Donald Trump, a reopened government would pave the way for a flood of backlogged economic data and the resumption of normal airline operations, among other functions.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2025

As part of the layoffs, in San Francisco, the regional branch of the department’s Office for Civil Rights — already backlogged with investigations into school-related discrimination — is closing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2025

If everyone who came before the court for a competency hearing brought out a bunch of irrelevant witnesses and made long speeches, the court calendar would be backlogged for decades.

From Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow

Interviews documented in the police report suggest that a key cause of the backlogging at the lab is a 2009 US Supreme Court decision known as Melendez-Diaz v.

From Nature ● Oct. 10, 2012

But in two fair-sized cities, Portland, Ore., and New Orleans, district attorneys claim that they have been able to get stiffer sentences without backlogging the court docket by cutting down on plea bargaining.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• inventory
• stockpile