backing
Americannoun
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aid or support of any kind.
- Synonyms:
- encouragement, patronage, sanction, sponsorship, endorsement, assistance, help
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supporters or backers collectively.
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something that forms the back or is placed at or attached to the back of anything to support, strengthen, or protect it.
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Theater. a curtain or flat placed behind a window, entrance, or other opening in a stage set to conceal the offstage area.
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material for backing a joist or rafter.
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a bevel given to the outer and upper edge of a hip rafter.
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the musical accompaniment for a soloist; backup.
noun
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support given to a person, cause, or enterprise
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a body of supporters
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something that forms, protects, supports, or strengthens the back of something
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theatre a scenic cloth or flat placed behind a window, door, etc, in a set to mask the offstage space
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musical accompaniment, esp for a pop singer
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the support in gold or precious metals for a country's issue of money in notes
-
meteorol an anticlockwise change in wind direction
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a passageway running behind a row of terraced houses
Etymology
Origin of backing
Vocabulary lists containing backing
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.
Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator and British political strategist, has the backing of 21%, while 19% backed billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist Tom Steyer, a Democrat.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Paxton first chased the president’s endorsement ahead of his 2022 reelection bid, when he secured Trump’s backing over a crowded field of primary challengers that included Land Commissioner George P. Bush.
From Salon • May 29, 2026
People want a “human jukebox,” as one of his backing musicians reminds him.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
The dollar offered depth, transparency, and the backing of the world’s most powerful military and legal system.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
The others would echo his words or make their voices sound like drums or musical instruments backing up his sermon—although the Vapostori used no actual instruments in their ceremonies.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
