backstop

American  

[bak-stop] / ˈbækˌstɒp /

noun

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

2. Baseball. the catcher.

3. a person or thing that serves as a support, safeguard, or reinforcement.

   There were technicians on board as backstops to the automated controls.

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verb (used without object)

backstopped, backstopping

1. to act as a backstop.

verb (used with object)

backstopped, backstopping

1. to act as a backstop to.

   The government agreed to backstop companies that invested in oil exploration.

backstop British  

/ ˈbækˌstɒp /

noun

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

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

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verb

1. to provide with backing or support

Other Word Forms

• backstopper
  noun

Etymology

Origin of backstop

First recorded in 1810–20; back ¹ + stop

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.

Example Sentences

Many wealthy schools embrace the “whole language” approach to reading, but the parents acted as a backstop, ensuring that their children learned how to read even if they didn’t learn it well in school.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 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

Discovery board members had demanded that Ellison — one of the world’s richest men — backstop the deal’s financial structure due to initial concerns about it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

But memory suppliers didn’t have the backstop of AI cloud spending at that point, Melius noted, and the sales model relied on spot buying rather than longer-term contracts.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

Moments later, Peshawa slithered through the Fifteens’ defenses and fired a shot that clanged into the chain-link fence of the backstop.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

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