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backup
[ bak-uhp ]
noun
- a person or thing that supports or reinforces another.
- a musician or singer or group of musicians or singers accompanying a soloist:
a singer with a three-man backup that plays cello, bass, and guitar.
- an overflow or accumulation due to stoppage, malfunctioning, etc.:
a sewage backup; a backup of cars at the tollbooth.
- a person, plan, device, etc., kept in reserve to serve as a substitute, if needed.
- Computers.
- a copy or duplicate version, especially of a file, program, or entire computer system, retained for use in the event that the original is in some way rendered unusable.
- a procedure to follow in such an event.
- Bowling. a ball that curves in a direction corresponding to the bowling hand of the bowler.
adjective
- (of a person, plan, device, etc.) held in reserve as a substitute if needed:
a backup driver; a backup generator.
- performing a secondary or supporting function:
A drummer and guitarist are the singer's backup musicians.
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Usage Note
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Word History and Origins
Origin of backup1
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Example Sentences
It typically takes days to get results back, and backups at labs can drag the process out for a week or two.
They have to be pretty confident they have someone to replace Mayer if they didn’t even get him to stay as a backup.
Using new technologies and backup power sources, Winn said SDG&E has also taken steps to reduce the number of customers who lose power this year.
At the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, when my insurance wouldn’t allow me to get a backup supply of the insulin I need to live, I received eight vials in the mail from my friend Rena.
As a backup, researchers should also consider using a less tested freeze-drying technique known as lyophilization.
Sometimes, they had a backup aim if their main goal fell through as the night dragged on.
In early October, Health Republic allowed me to submit a “grievance claim” which I filed, along with a pile of backup documents.
At 12:02 p.m., Wilson called in his location and asked the dispatcher for backup.
Backup dancers materialize, sparking a torrent of eye-catching choreography.
She retreated into the lobby, but only to call for backup and an ambulance.
She could swap out a dead bot for a backup in five minutes flat, which is all that crowd-control would permit.
My cochlea struck twelve noon and a HUD appeared with my weekly backup reminder.
My next-most-recent backup was three years old, dating from the completion of my second symphony.
I stopped in front of the backup terminal in the gateway between Liberty Square and Fantasyland.
I had prepared a written synopsis of the events since her last backup for her, and she read it over the next couple days.
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Related Words
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More About Backup
What does backup mean?
A backup is a person or thing that supports another, as in My role as the backup for the sales team is to take calls when the rest of the team is busy.
Backup is a noun form of the verb phrase back up, which means to support or assist.
A backup is also a person or thing kept in reserve as a substitute, as in The backup for the cake I’m making is the apple pie in the freezer.
A backup is also an overflow or accumulation caused by a blockage or stoppage, such as a car backup on the highway when there’s an accident further ahead on the road.
Backup also describes a person or thing that acts as a backup, as with backup dancers, a backup generator, a backup food supply, and a backup plan.
Example: Bring in some backup workers to help assist the customers lined up outside the door.
Where does backup come from?
The first records of the term backup come from the 1770s. It comes from the verb phrase back up, meaning “to support or assist.”
In computing, backup has a specific meaning. It refers to a copy of the data, such as photos and text files, created in case of data loss or technology malfunction. More technically, a backup on a computer refers to a compressed copy of all files on a system that is stored to an external disk and that can be used to rewrite a system’s files back to the time of the backup.
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How is backup used in real life?
Backup is a common word used in reference to something that supports or that overflows.
Standing down today due to a sensor issue; backup launch opportunity tomorrow morning.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 30, 2017
Got everything set up and then backed up my laptop, all my photos and videos from my (kinda full) phone, and also everything that I'm currently syncing to Dropbox. Once openmediavault was good to go, all the backups took like, 10 minutes. Super easy.
— Caleb Figgers (@CalebFiggers) December 16, 2021
Supply chain. Backups at the port of LA. Thousands of shipping containers on ships waiting to unload. COVID impacting everything, I guess?
— Joel Rosen (@jrosen) December 16, 2021
Try using backup!
Is backup used correctly in the following sentence?
Be sure to backup all photos on your phone so you don’t lose them.
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