backlog

American  

[bak-lawg, -log] / ˈbækˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg /

noun

• backlogs
  plural

1. a reserve or accumulation, as of stock, work, or business.

   a backlog of business orders.

   Synonyms:

   reservoir, cache, fund, store, stock, supply

2. a large log at the back of a hearth to keep up a fire.

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verb (used with object)

backlogged, backlogging

1. to hold in reserve, as for future handling or repair.

2. to enter and acknowledge (an order) for future shipment.

verb (used without object)

backlogged, backlogging

1. to accumulate in a backlog.

   Orders are starting to backlog faster than we can process them.

backlog British  

/ ˈbækˌlɒɡ /

noun

1. an accumulation of uncompleted work, unsold stock, etc, to be dealt with

2. a large log at the back of a fireplace

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• backlogs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of backlog

First recorded in 1675–85; back ¹ + log ¹

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Explanation

When you have extra work to do that keeps accumulating, you have a backlog. Sometimes people stay late at their jobs to take care of a backlog. A backlog of tasks might slow down an ordinary day at an office or store, or require workers to come in on the weekend to catch up. In 1680, a backlog meant "a large log placed at the back of a fireplace," and by the 1880s it came to also mean "something stored for later use." It wasn't until the early 20th century that a backlog most often referred to "extra unfulfilled orders."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

backlog backlogs backlogged backlogging

It said about £200m of the required funding would need to be used to tackle a maintenance backlog.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Adding to the backlog are prolific requesters who flood the department with complex and time-consuming inquiries, all of which have to undergo several levels of review to avoid the release of private data, they argue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

The cloud platform’s backlog has risen to $578 billion as demand for processing power continues to rise.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Chief Executive Joe Creed said the recent quarter’s results reflect the durability of Caterpillar’s end markets, with strong order rates and a record backlog.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

If one is accused of a lie and it turns out to be the truth, there is a backlog that will last a long time and protect a number of untruths.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Bloom’s fuel cells give hyperscalers and data-center developers a faster on-site option amid grid delays and backlogs in the production of natural-gas turbines, they said.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

A separate state system for updating registration information wasn’t processing changes for several weeks, leading to more backlogs.

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026

The government says it will expand the use of so-called "blitz" or "short trial" courts after pilots have shown that grouping similar cases together can speed up their progression through the courts - cutting backlogs.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

While a volatile environment discourages new participants from entering the market, large aircraft delivery backlogs will make new supply difficult.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

He had a big, open fireplace with backlogs and andirons.

From Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart

It was backlogged, so they would fly them in-country to wherever they wanted to go.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

The BLS is expected to quickly release the backlogged September jobs report after the government reopens, since it is pegged to data that was collected before the closure began on Oct.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025

Pending approval by the House and signing by President Donald Trump, a reopened government would pave the way for a flood of backlogged economic data and the resumption of normal airline operations, among other functions.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2025

This has come up on social media - but so far the prosecution has been prioritised through an embattled and backlogged court system, towards a trial date early next year.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024

If everyone who came before the court for a competency hearing brought out a bunch of irrelevant witnesses and made long speeches, the court calendar would be backlogged for decades.

From Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow

Interviews documented in the police report suggest that a key cause of the backlogging at the lab is a 2009 US Supreme Court decision known as Melendez-Diaz v.

From Nature ● Oct. 10, 2012

But in two fair-sized cities, Portland, Ore., and New Orleans, district attorneys claim that they have been able to get stiffer sentences without backlogging the court docket by cutting down on plea bargaining.

From Time Magazine Archive

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Related Words

• inventory
• stockpile

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