backstop

[ bak-stop ]
See synonyms for backstop on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a wall, wire screen, or the like, serving to prevent a ball from going too far beyond the normal playing area.

  2. Baseball. the catcher.

  1. a person or thing that serves as a support, safeguard, or reinforcement: There were technicians on board as backstops to the automated controls.

verb (used without object),back·stopped, back·stop·ping.
  1. to act as a backstop.

verb (used with object),back·stopped, back·stop·ping.
  1. to act as a backstop to: The government agreed to backstop companies that invested in oil exploration.

Origin of backstop

1
First recorded in 1810–20; back1 + stop

Other words from backstop

  • backstopper, noun

Words Nearby backstop

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use backstop in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for backstop

backstop

/ (ˈbækˌstɒp) /


noun
  1. sport a screen or fence to prevent balls leaving the playing area

  2. a block or catch to prevent excessive backward movement, such as one on the sliding seat of a rowing boat

verb-stops, -stopping or -stopped (tr)
  1. US to provide with backing or support

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012