as in to aid
to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end
the Nobel-winning geneticist was of course backstopped in his research by a team of highly talented assistants
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backstop
Longtime Pirates backstop Jason Kendall did it the most — 463 times — while Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus tried a handful of times during his 18-year career.
—
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025
Some commentators don’t like the idea of potentially using taxpayer funds to backstop the price of crypto, a speculative digital asset with limited (some would say nonexistent) underlying value.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
The sidelining of the European Union and the United Kingdom — who have funneled more than $160 billion in aid and military equipment to Ukraine since February 2022 — has fueled fears that the region can no longer rely on the US to backstop its security.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
As is normal in our current system, additional firefighters from outside the local area arrived to backstop the initial responders when they were exhausted after their 24- or 48-hour shifts.
—Jay Balagna, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstop
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025
Some commentators don’t like the idea of potentially using taxpayer funds to backstop the price of crypto, a speculative digital asset with limited (some would say nonexistent) underlying value.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
The sidelining of the European Union and the United Kingdom — who have funneled more than $160 billion in aid and military equipment to Ukraine since February 2022 — has fueled fears that the region can no longer rely on the US to backstop its security.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
As is normal in our current system, additional firefighters from outside the local area arrived to backstop the initial responders when they were exhausted after their 24- or 48-hour shifts.
—Jay Balagna, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstop
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstop
Verb
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She was aided on the DeLeon groundout by a spectacular play by Karlie Davison at second base, who laid out to field the ball and made a strong throw to beat the runner to first.—
Ethan Westerman,
Arkansas Online,
26 May 2025
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Fire crews on the ground were being aided by aircraft.—
Kristina Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 May 2025
Verb
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The Aurora Police Department, Aurora Township Fire Department and Kane County Drone Team assisted the Kane County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the incident, per the release.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
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Alpine Rescue, Guardia di Finanza Rescue and Italy's Carabinieri (a military organization similar to the police) all assisted in the recovery efforts.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
2 June 2025
Verb
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As the Hall of Fame notes, the group was heavily influenced by Black musician Lesley Riddle, who helped A.P. with songs and taught Maybelle his guitar style.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 May 2025
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The cyclist was helped from the ravine and emergency services transported him on a stretcher to the hospital.—
Natasha Dye,
People.com,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Connecticut has a chance to show a different way – to support workers who exercise their right to organize and bargain collectively by stopping discriminatory treatment of striking workers who file for state unemployment insurance.—
Ed Hawthorne,
Hartford Courant,
25 May 2025
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In honor of her, Chung created the Judith Ehm Foundation to support public charities that help Korean-Americans, Asian-Americans, and the broader community with education, social services, and healthcare.—
Tanya Benedicto Klich,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstop. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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