JISUPOSTEnglish
ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Back up

/ˈbækˌʌp/ · noun

Meaning

A reserve or substitute..

Definitions by Sense

  1. A reserve or substitute.
  2. (computing) A copy of a file or record, stored separately from the original, that can be used to recover the original if it is damaged or destroyed.
  3. An accumulation of material caused by a (partial) obstruction or (complete) blockage of the flow or movement of the material, or an accumulation of material that causes an overflow due to the flow being greater than the maximum possible flow.
  4. (law enforcement, uncountable) Reinforcements.
  5. (uncountable, by extension) Any support or extra help.
  6. (music, uncountable) Accompaniment.
  7. (uncountable) Corroboration.
  8. Standby, reserve or extra.

Example Sentences

If the goalkeeper is injured, we have a backup.
After the power failure, we had to restore the database from backup.
The accident caused a mile-long backup on the highway.
The blockage caused a backup in the plumbing.
He's got a gun! You'd better send for backup.
Shaman: My patience is tested, but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf? Shepard: How is a candidate tested if he brings backup on his Rite of Passage? Shaman: Not every krogan can be the strongest warrior, but each must inspire his peers to battle at his side. Shaman: If the ones who know you best can find nothing worthy in you, you should wander the wastes and die alone before you weaken my clan.
This guy, he grabs the dog by the ears, stares it down like a cowboy in a showdown. The man regains control again. He scans the area, hoping for backup. Nothing. No neighbours, no dog whisperers, no animal control.
Debbie Ahn, on piano, provided some mesmerizing back-up and many fiery, on-target solos.

Synonyms for back up

reservestand-insparesubstitutetailbacklineextrastandbybackingreliefbackup manfill-incomputer backup

Antonyms for back up

Related Words

fill-insubstitutestand-inreliefbackup mancomputer backupbackstopback-upsafeguardsafeguardingprotectionboosterpreservationbackaugmentationreverseescortrescuesavingreinforcement

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does back up mean?

Back up means A reserve or substitute..

What is a synonym for back up?

Common synonyms include reserve, stand-in, spare, substitute.

What is the opposite of back up?

The opposite depends on the specific sense.

How do you use back up in a sentence?

If the goalkeeper is injured, we have a backup.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.