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Synonyms

backup

American  
[bak-uhp] / ˈbækˌʌp /

noun

  1. a person or thing that supports or reinforces another.

  2. 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.

  3. an overflow or accumulation due to stoppage, malfunctioning, etc..

    a sewage backup; a backup of cars at the tollbooth.

  4. a person, plan, device, etc., kept in reserve to serve as a substitute, if needed.

  5. Computers.

    1. 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.

    2. a procedure to follow in such an event.

  6. Bowling. a ball that curves in a direction corresponding to the bowling hand of the bowler.

adjective

  1. (of a person, plan, device, etc.) held in reserve as a substitute if needed.

    a backup driver; a backup generator.

  2. performing a secondary or supporting function.

    A drummer and guitarist are the singer's backup musicians.

Usage

See login.

Etymology

Origin of backup

1775–85, noun use of verb phrase back up

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.

Jorge Piñón, an expert on Cuba's energy sector at the University of Texas at Austin, said the more urgent need is diesel, which could be used for backup power generators or for transportation systems.

From BBC

The government would have to decide whether to use the fuel for backup power generators or for buses, tractors and trains needed to keep the economy going for two weeks, he added.

From Barron's

Pinon said the government would have to decide whether to use the fuel for backup power generators or for buses, tractors and trains needed to keep the economy going for two weeks.

From Barron's

Pinon said the government would have to decide whether to use the fuel for backup power generators or for the buses, tractors and trains needed to keep the economy going for two weeks.

From Barron's

The effective closure has led to a backup of vessels confined in the Persian Gulf that had already loaded crude oil, reducing the availability of global tanker capacity, the EIA says.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.