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backup

/ˈbækˌʌp/noun2 syllables

Backup means: someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult).

Synonyms for backup18

noun, as in someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult)

stand-in, substitute, relief, reliever, fill-in

noun, as in a musical part (vocal or instrumental) that supports or provides background for other musical parts

accompaniment, musical accompaniment, support

noun, as in the act of providing approval and support

backing, championship, patronage

noun, as in (computer science) a copy of a file or directory on a separate storage device

computer backup

also used for backup

tailback, line, reserve, spare, extra, standby

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does backup mean?5

noun

1

someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult)“the star had a stand-in for dangerous scenes”

2

a musical part (vocal or instrumental) that supports or provides background for other musical parts

3

the act of providing approval and support“his vigorous backing of the conservatives got him in trouble with progressives”

4

(computer science) a copy of a file or directory on a separate storage device“he made a backup in case the original was accidentally damaged or erased”

5

an accumulation caused by clogging or a stoppage“a traffic backup on the main street”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Backup in a sentence

  • I had a backup plan, but it didn't help.CK
  • Without fuel, backup power generators won't run, risking critical outages.Amastan
  • As a last resort, you can use a backup token.Nicat
  • You need a backup plan, just in case.CK
  • If one of the turbines is broken, there's a backup one.DJ_Saidez
  • I didn't find my suggestions even in the backup copy.AlanF_US
  • It would be good to take a backup snapshot immediately.terrywallwork
  • What do you think of the backup plan?CK

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of backup

as a noun

plural
backups