backstop
Americannoun
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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)
verb (used with object)
noun
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sport a screen or fence to prevent balls leaving the playing area
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a block or catch to prevent excessive backward movement, such as one on the sliding seat of a rowing boat
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of backstop
Explanation
In baseball, a backstop is the wall or fence behind home plate that keeps the ball on the playing field. If the batter hits the ball into the backstop, it's a foul ball. When a softball player is up at bat, the backstop is behind her. Part of the backstop's purpose is to keep players and spectators from getting hurt by foul balls or bats that players toss after hitting the ball. You can also use the word backstop to describe a thing or a person that stands behind something, offering reinforcement or support. The earliest use of the word, in 1819, is from cricket.
Vocabulary lists containing backstop
Baseball in April
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Race to the Sun
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Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It'll be a backstop for many, but the minimum contribution rate is unlikely to be enough for a comfortable retirement.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
Over a full cycle, that is the better deal, even for the investors hoping for a backstop.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026
Crypto firms are racing to backstop the industry’s biggest decentralized lender after North Korea-linked hackers absconded with $190 million from the platform.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Calabasas 10, Oaks Christian 9: With two out in the top of the seventh, Oaks Christian had a chance to tie when the pitch went to the backstop.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Another new ball from behind the backstop and Willis roughing it up again.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
