1
: a large log at the back of a hearth fire
2
: an accumulation of tasks unperformed or materials not processed
a backlog of court cases
Examples of backlog in a Sentence
Noun
We have a huge backlog of orders to be filled.
Recent Examples on the Web
Katie Bain, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
Another frequent complaint was backlogs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Belcuore said those wait times have dropped dramatically.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024
When Sanitation began removing graffiti, there was a backlog of a thousand requests; the department cleaned eight hundred locations in just one month.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Whatever is built, steel is expensive these days and there is a backlog for I-beams, Badie said.
—Ben Finley and Brian Witte, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
The backlog in the immigration courts surpassed three million cases last year, and there are not nearly enough judges and interpreters to tackle it effectively.
—Hamed Aleaziz, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
In addition to the most recent production slowdowns precipitated by issues with Boeing aircraft, supply chain slowdowns have contributed to a backlog of orders.
—Marnie Hunter, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
School facilities funding Over the coming year, state coffers will send out $1.5 billion and redirect $500 million to school districts around Idaho to help with a backlog of repairs on school buildings that has dogged the state’s public schools system for years.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2024
Investment income from the fund − up to $80 million a year by the mayor's estimate − is intended to be used to address a backlog of infrastructure repairs.
—Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, 11 Apr. 2024
Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2024
Related:Infractions backlog likely to push Louisville basketball's case into a sixth year NCAA's Complex Case Unit's allegations against Louisville men's basketball: 1.
—Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 28 Mar. 2022
The 2023 tax season is already looking stressful, with the IRS' returns backlog growing and the agency warning Americans that their refunds might come later than usual.
—Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2022
During 2021, Energy Resources added 7.2 GW of new wind, solar and energy storage projects to backlog, which has grown at a 20 percent compound annual rate since 2017.
—Roger Conrad, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022
Outside of that May backlog, Alabama’s case count hasn’t been this high since March - though cases are still well below the highs seen here in December and January.
—al, 13 Aug. 2021
Noun
And so there’s always been a backlog of material that’s been unreleased.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
Another frequent complaint was backlogs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Belcuore said those wait times have dropped dramatically.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024
When Sanitation began removing graffiti, there was a backlog of a thousand requests; the department cleaned eight hundred locations in just one month.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Whatever is built, steel is expensive these days and there is a backlog for I-beams, Badie said.
—Ben Finley and Brian Witte, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
The backlog in the immigration courts surpassed three million cases last year, and there are not nearly enough judges and interpreters to tackle it effectively.
—Hamed Aleaziz, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
In addition to the most recent production slowdowns precipitated by issues with Boeing aircraft, supply chain slowdowns have contributed to a backlog of orders.
—Marnie Hunter, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
School facilities funding Over the coming year, state coffers will send out $1.5 billion and redirect $500 million to school districts around Idaho to help with a backlog of repairs on school buildings that has dogged the state’s public schools system for years.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2024
Investment income from the fund − up to $80 million a year by the mayor's estimate − is intended to be used to address a backlog of infrastructure repairs.
—Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, 11 Apr. 2024
Verb
For the 2024 tax season, Collins urged the IRS to make clearing up its identity theft backlog a higher priority.
—Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2024
Related:Infractions backlog likely to push Louisville basketball's case into a sixth year NCAA's Complex Case Unit's allegations against Louisville men's basketball: 1.
—Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 28 Mar. 2022
The 2023 tax season is already looking stressful, with the IRS' returns backlog growing and the agency warning Americans that their refunds might come later than usual.
—Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2022
During 2021, Energy Resources added 7.2 GW of new wind, solar and energy storage projects to backlog, which has grown at a 20 percent compound annual rate since 2017.
—Roger Conrad, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022
Outside of that May backlog, Alabama’s case count hasn’t been this high since March - though cases are still well below the highs seen here in December and January.
—al, 13 Aug. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backlog.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Backlog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backlog. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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