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

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Etymology

Origin of backlog

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

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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

Adding to the backlog are prolific requesters who flood the department with complex and time-consuming inquiries, all of which have to undergo several levels of review to avoid the release of private data, they argue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

“Demand still exceeds supply, the commercial backlog is enormous, and returns are finally showing up in earnings and overall revenue,” he wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

That makes it the latest in a string of big defense contractors reporting fresh backlog records as government orders for missiles and other technologies ramp up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Cooper argues the backlog for hyperscalers signals strong future revenue visibility and that at this stage, credit markets are not yet a canary in the coal mine.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

Once I set up the solar panels, I fired up the oxygenator and let it work through the backlog of C02 that the regulator had stored up.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Under the government's plan magistrates will have the power to jail for up to two years - the aim being to keep more cases out of Crown Court, to help clear backlogs.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

The series of radical reforms, including scaling back jury trials, were presented as the best way of turning around record backlogs which, in turn, were exacerbating the prison population crisis.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

He said it is important to reduce visa backlogs and modernize the immigration system to meet the needs of our economy and support employers and legal immigrants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The market for large turbines used at power plants has multiyear backlogs due to rising demand for power, much of it coming from the artificial intelligence boom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

For the huge fireplace, huge lengths of logs, for the backlogs, were cut, which required three persons to roll in place.

From Blazing The Way True Stories, Songs and Sketches of Puget Sound by Emily Inez Denny

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 BLS is expected to quickly release the backlogged September jobs report after the government reopens, since it is pegged to data that was collected before the closure began on Oct.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025

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

The government said it changed the rules to "enhance" the link between Italy and the citizen abroad, avoid 'abuse' and 'commercialisation' of passports, and free up resources to clear backlogged applications.

From BBC ● May 21, 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

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Related Words

• inventory
• stockpile

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