Dictionary.com

backstop

[ bak-stop ]
/ ˈbækˌstɒp /
Save This Word!

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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of backstop

First recorded in 1810–20; back1 + stop

OTHER WORDS FROM backstop

backstopper, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use backstop in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK