backstop

[ bak-stop ]

/ ˈbækˌstɒp /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR backstop ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a wall, wire screen, or the like, serving to prevent a ball from going too far beyond the normal playing area.

Baseball. the catcher.

a person or thing that serves as a support, safeguard, or reinforcement: There were technicians on board as backstops to the automated controls.

verb (used without object), back·stopped, back·stop·ping.

to act as a backstop.

verb (used with object), back·stopped, back·stop·ping.

to act as a backstop to: The government agreed to backstop companies that invested in oil exploration.

Nearby words

Origin of backstop

First recorded in 1810–20; back¹ + stop

Related formsback·stop·per, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for backstop

On the other, you risk ballooning one into the backstop in front of 50,000 people.
Viral Video of the Day: Chrissy Teigen's Drunken Dodger Pitch|Jack Holmes|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After the corporate split, the paper will no longer have blockbuster movies to backstop it.
New York Post Looks Thinner After News Corporation Split|David Freedlander|July 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It could serve as a backstop for Mitt, bringing him over the top at the last possible moment.
The GOP’s Chaotic Primary Calendar Makes Early Nomination Clinch Tough|John Avlon|February 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And Perry thinks TARP was a total mistake—along with all subsequent efforts to backstop or stimulate the economy.
Perry’s Entitlement Problem|Andrew Romano|August 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Finally, the tenth shot smacked against the backstop and he racked his weapon and punched at the target return button.
The Best Made Plans|Everett B. Cole
Since the warning he had used the horizon as a backstop for all his shots.
Frank of Freedom Hill|Samuel A. Derieux
"Pete is going to be my backstop on our nine," explained Tommy Flanders.
The Rover Boys in the Land of Luck|Edward Stratemeyer
The tennis men had a backstop ten feet high and an imaginary court where they practiced what strokes they could.
Bert Wilson, Marathon Winner|J. W. Duffield
It facilitates the game if the end of each court may be a wall or fence, and thus make sort of a backstop behind the goal.
Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium|Jessie H. Bancroft

British Dictionary definitions for backstop

backstop

/ (ˈbækˌstɒp) /

noun

sport a screen or fence to prevent balls leaving the playing area

a block or catch to prevent excessive backward movement, such as one on the sliding seat of a rowing boat

verb -stops, -stopping or -stopped (tr)

US to provide with backing or support

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for backstop

backstop

1819, in cricket, from back (adj.) + stop. In U.S. baseball, from 1889, "fence behind the catcher;" figurative extension to "catcher on a baseball team" is from 1890. The verb is attested from 1956 in the sense of "support." Related: Backstopped; backstopping.