often attributive
1
a
: one that serves as a substitute or support
I brought an extra pencil for backup.
a backup plan
b
: musical accompaniment
The tunes include banjo and guitar backup.
c
: additional personnel who provide assistance
The police officer called for backup.
2
: an accumulation caused by a stoppage in the flow
traffic backup
3
: a copy of computer data (such as a file or the contents of a hard drive)
I made a backup copy of the file.
also
: the act or an instance of making a backup
backed up; backing up; backing up
: to accumulate in a congested state
traffic backed up for miles
1
: to move into a position behind (a teammate) in order to assist on a play
3
: to make a copy of (a computer file or data) to protect against accidental loss or corruption
Be sure to back up your work.
also
: to make copies of all the files on (a device)
a program that automatically backs up your hard drive
Synonyms
Examples of backup in a Sentence
Noun
His role on the team is to be a backup to the regular quarterback.
We have an extra radio as a backup in case this one doesn't work.
We have an extra radio for backup.
He provides backup for the regular quarterback.
She sang backup on his CD.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
Elizabeth further hand-embroidered the designs on the dress Diana wore, while the fabric for the backup was ready-made.
—Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Another first responder then called for backup to save the crew — at 1:29 a.m. — but by then the bridge was gone.
—Mansee Khurana, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Like the backup, factory resetting your device requires an active internet connection.
—Dua Rashid / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
And when Posey returned for 2021, Bart was left to toil at Triple-A almost all season, rather than learn under his predecessor as his backup during their 107-win season.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
A lot of guys have a backup or a backup and a backup.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
Precautions like multi-user authentication and secondary backups can help protect against ransomware threats and other possible cyberattacks.
—Dave Friend, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Petrino said he’s moved on to figuring out who Green’s backup will be.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024
David Gilbert, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2024
During shifts, a truck enters the station every few minutes and backs up to the edge of a large open pit, one level down, to unload.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
But the Pacers again responded, this time with a 10-4 run to bump their lead back up to eight with 1:25 left.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
Hurry and add the $200 mirror to your cart for $60 before the price jumps back up.
—Rachel Trujillo, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
But the expansion expired at the end of 2021, and child poverty rates jumped back up after that.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
The show returns April 12 for its 11th season in Spain, backed up by a successful track record, which averages since its 2011 debut an over 20% audience share of Antena 3 primetime.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Their results show significant levels of minor cannabinoids, backing up their claims of potency of minor cannabinoids.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Jimmy Garoppolo will back up Matthew Stafford, and Stetson Bennett is expected to participate in offseason workouts after missing his entire rookie season on the non-football injury list.
—Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
The 31-year-old, who was the second overall pick in the 2016 draft, was the Los Angeles Rams’ backup late last season.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
Elizabeth further hand-embroidered the designs on the dress Diana wore, while the fabric for the backup was ready-made.
—Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Another first responder then called for backup to save the crew — at 1:29 a.m. — but by then the bridge was gone.
—Mansee Khurana, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Like the backup, factory resetting your device requires an active internet connection.
—Dua Rashid / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
And when Posey returned for 2021, Bart was left to toil at Triple-A almost all season, rather than learn under his predecessor as his backup during their 107-win season.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
A lot of guys have a backup or a backup and a backup.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
Precautions like multi-user authentication and secondary backups can help protect against ransomware threats and other possible cyberattacks.
—Dave Friend, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Petrino said he’s moved on to figuring out who Green’s backup will be.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
Earlier this year, True the Vote was forced to admit in court that the group had no evidence to back up its claims.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2024
During shifts, a truck enters the station every few minutes and backs up to the edge of a large open pit, one level down, to unload.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
But the Pacers again responded, this time with a 10-4 run to bump their lead back up to eight with 1:25 left.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
Hurry and add the $200 mirror to your cart for $60 before the price jumps back up.
—Rachel Trujillo, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
But the expansion expired at the end of 2021, and child poverty rates jumped back up after that.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
The show returns April 12 for its 11th season in Spain, backed up by a successful track record, which averages since its 2011 debut an over 20% audience share of Antena 3 primetime.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Their results show significant levels of minor cannabinoids, backing up their claims of potency of minor cannabinoids.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Jimmy Garoppolo will back up Matthew Stafford, and Stetson Bennett is expected to participate in offseason workouts after missing his entire rookie season on the non-football injury list.
—Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to backup
Dictionary Entries Near backup
Cite this Entry
“Backup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backup. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
backup
1 of 2 noun
back·up
ˈbak-ˌəp 
1
: a person or thing that takes the place of or supports another
has a backup in case he gets sick
2
: a gathering or piling up because the flow has been stopped
a traffic backup
3
: a copy of a computer file to protect against loss of data
also
: the act or an instance of making a backup
back up
2 of 2 verb1
: to gather or pile up because the flow has been stopped
traffic backed up for miles
2
: to make a copy of (as a computer file) to protect against loss of data
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