backup
Americannoun
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a person or thing that supports or reinforces another.
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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.
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an overflow or accumulation due to stoppage, malfunctioning, etc..
a sewage backup; a backup of cars at the tollbooth.
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a person, plan, device, etc., kept in reserve to serve as a substitute, if needed.
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Computers.
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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.
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a procedure to follow in such an event.
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Bowling. a ball that curves in a direction corresponding to the bowling hand of the bowler.
adjective
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(of a person, plan, device, etc.) held in reserve as a substitute if needed.
a backup driver; a backup generator.
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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.
The backup power provider missed earnings expectations for the fourth quarter due to a lack of power outages and lower shipments of home and portable generators.
From Barron's
The backup power provider missed earnings expectations for the fourth quarter due to a lack of power outages and lower shipments of home and portable generators.
From Barron's
Neville, who won an Oscar directing a documentary about backup singers, “20 Feet From Stardom,” hoped to understand how McCartney battled those odds.
But backup center Jaxson Hayes, who missed the last game with right ankle soreness, played 21 minutes against the Suns, finishing with eight points and three rebounds.
From Los Angeles Times
"Without backup power, our building simply wouldn't be able to function," Biletsky, the 42-year-old head of his building's homeowners' association, told AFP.
From Barron's
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.
