1
as in to testify (to)
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1
as in jam
a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement
there was the inevitable backup of travelers trying to pass through airport security
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in replacement
a person or thing that takes the place of another
you didn't get the lead position, but you can be the backup to the chosen singer
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in makeshift
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of back (up)
Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Joining the Chiefs The seventh round presented the perfect window for the Chiefs to make a play for a low-risk, high-reward quarterback with Nussmeier’s background — even after trading for a backup (Justin Fields) this offseason.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Goga Bitadze has also provided key blocks – two each in Games 4 and 5 – while helping clean up the glass as Orlando’s backup center this series.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Noun
No fuckboy could stand a chance, anyway, pitted against Nelson as her backup.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Joining the Chiefs The seventh round presented the perfect window for the Chiefs to make a play for a low-risk, high-reward quarterback with Nussmeier’s background — even after trading for a backup (Justin Fields) this offseason.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
There has never been a backup plan.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Goga Bitadze has also provided key blocks – two each in Games 4 and 5 – while helping clean up the glass as Orlando’s backup center this series.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for back (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back (up)
Verb
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Families pile in with kids decked out in their Sunday best — bows in their hair, fluffy dresses, cowlicks gelled down.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
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Some recipes also include pectin, a natural gelling agent that helps the jam set to a spreadable texture.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Many of the major players during the formative years of psychedelia and jam-rock during the 1960s and ‘70s had bluegrass somewhere in their foundation — Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Moby Grape.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Jam cakes are a popular vintage recipe from all over the South, but the type of jam is usually dependent on what's fresh in the area.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Instead, as Quick reported, Dundon has already been canvassing the basketball world for Splitter’s possible replacement while clearly not caring about the awful optics.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The replacement was made possible by the generous donation of an anonymous person, done in honor of his history-loving deceased wife.—
Janet Kusterer,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Shortly thereafter, transfer and compatibility tests were conducted at Picatinny Arsenal, and approximately a dozen warheads were assembled, one of which was tested on a makeshift test range bunker, according to a press release.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
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Soliman is accused of using a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to burn people who’d gathered on the popular pedestrian mall for a weekly demonstration urging the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The residences were born out of necessity but have become cherished events for the thousands in the band’s cult.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
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Part of this was born out of necessity when working with limited materials.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As most of the scientific books tell us, coagulating protein at lower temperatures produces more tender clumps; adding a little water or cream makes an omelet tenderer still.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
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Two dented blue bottles of Cuajo Titanium, a liquid coagulating enzyme used to curdle milk, remained on a wooden table, caked in mud.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The substitute looks up and sends a shot crashing against the post from a tight angle.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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In 2025, the CMS Fraud Defense Operations Center stopped nearly $185 million in improper payments to suspect providers billing for skin substitutes.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Miad Maleki, who played a central role in Treasury Department sanctions campaigns against Iran and its network of proxy groups, said in an on-camera interview the current moment reflects a rare convergence of economic, political and diplomatic leverage against Tehran.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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It was widely seen as a major geopolitical breakthrough that reduced the risk of direct and proxy conflict, said Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, a researcher at the Center of Economic and Law Studies in Indonesia.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Back (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back%20%28up%29. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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