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Synonyms

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.

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

"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

verb

  1. 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

Other Word Forms

  • backstopper noun

Etymology

Origin of backstop

First recorded in 1810–20; back 1 + stop

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.

The upshot is that Fannie and Freddie would end up charging less to backstop riskier mortgages.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Flight attendant unions and advocacy groups for airline executives, recognizing the warning signs, have repeatedly begged the federal government to figure out a funding backstop for TSA salaries.

From Slate • Mar. 24, 2026

For merger-arbitrage investors, Paramount’s all-cash bid with a ticking fee and a defined regulatory backstop materially reduced spread risk compared to a stock-heavy transaction subject to extended Justice Department review.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

But it’s unclear how long that backstop can last.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 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

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.