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

A healthy order intake should sustain its backlog visibility, supporting a higher valuation multiple.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

She qualified for that year's World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships in what was an unusually condensed season owing to the backlog from the pandemic.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

“We are confident in our backlog which more than supports all of our debt obligations,” CoreWeave said in an emailed statement shared by a spokesperson.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The letter said that the jump in Lambda’s backlog was driven primarily by a $35 billion commitment from Anthropic, maker of the popular Claude family of models.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 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

The government says it will expand the use of so-called "blitz" or "short trial" courts after pilots have shown that grouping similar cases together can speed up their progression through the courts - cutting backlogs.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Some people reported waits of up to two hours, while hundreds of ticket holders were reportedly turned away due to backlogs when the museum closed early last week due to a private event.

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 company said products are moving through its distribution network at or above normal levels to fulfill orders and reduce backlogs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

In front of these smaller logs were piled, the backlogs reflecting the heat forward into the lean-to.

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

Technicians troubleshoot problems with factory machinery, fixing hiccups that could jam up production of backlogged 737 MAX jets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

It was backlogged, so they would fly them in-country to wherever they wanted to go.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 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

This has come up on social media - but so far the prosecution has been prioritised through an embattled and backlogged court system, towards a trial date early next year.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024

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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