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

The agency estimates that up to a third, or 444,000 of the more than 1.4 million asylum cases in its backlog, could be affected by the rule.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Jenna Ide, a partner and employment law specialist at Thomas Mansfield Solicitors, says that the backlog adds pressure on employers.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Alphabet said Wednesday that cloud revenue grew 82% to $24.8 billion, and pointed to a backlog worth $514 billion, driven by customers including Apple, Meta and Anthropic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

And with $65 billion in new orders, the order backlog grew to a record $230 billion.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 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

Manufacturers face yearslong backlogs for gas turbines, essentially big jet engines that generate power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Since the middle of 2025, four big AI spenders—Alphabet unit Google, Microsoft, Amazon.com and Oracle—have collectively more than doubled their revenue backlogs, adding more than $1 trillion to the combined figure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

According to BCA Research, hyperscaler cloud backlogs — orders received but not yet fulfilled — have grown by roughly $750 billion over just the past two quarters.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Both Bloom Energy and GE Vernova’s order backlogs have soared to $20 billion and $163 billion, respectively.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

It was not uncommon to draw the huge backlogs on to the hearth with a horse, and sometimes a yoke of oxen were so employed.

From In New England Fields and Woods by Robinson, Rowland E. (Evans)

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 Doctorow, Cory

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