different between backstop vs backup

English

Alternative forms

• back-stop

Etymology

back +? stop

Pronunciation

Noun

backstop (plural backstops)

1. A thing or a person put in the rear or in the back of something to reinforce, hold, support.
2. A default arrangement that holds if all else fails.
   • The Express, 7 June 2018

     Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, this morning, said a time-limited backstop would be unacceptable, and has previously promised to vote down the UK’s Brexit withdrawal deal unless it features a satisfactory backstop.

   • The Irish Times, 17 November 2018

     "The 2½ years since have been about hammering home these points in any European capital that would listen. And in spite of capacity-sapping talks on the first point – Brexit, border and backstop – the Department of Foreign Affairs and other government departments have been working quietly to make good on the second.

3. (baseball) A wall or fence behind home plate.
4. (baseball slang) A catcher; the position of catcher.
5. (rounders) The player who stands immediately behind the striking base.
6. (cricket, dated) The longstop.
7. (cricket, dated) The wicket-keeper.
8. (espionage) Something serving to bolster or support a cover story etc.
   • 1976, Joseph Burkholder Smith, Portrait of a Cold Warrior (page 116)

     […] to be set up in Indonesia with a phony book and school supplies company established in New York City as a backstop.

   • 1990, Bruce W. Watson, Susan M. Watson, Gerald W. Hopple, United States intelligence: an encyclopedia (page 1974)

     Closely representing an alibi, creating a backstop could involve such measures as having people available to verify the details of an agent's cover story.

Coordinate terms

• (thing or a person to support): rearguard

Translations

Verb

backstop (third-person singular simple present backstops, present participle backstopping, simple past and past participle backstopped)

1. (transitive) To serve as backstop for.
2. (transitive) To bolster, support.

Translations

Anagrams

• back post, backpost, postback

English

Alternative forms

• back-up

Etymology

back +? up

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bæk??p/

Noun

backup (plural backups)

1. A reserve or substitute.

   If the goalkeeper is injured, we have a backup.

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 destroyed or damaged.

   After the power failure, we had to restore the database from backup.

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.

   The accident caused a mile-long backup on the highway.

   The blockage caused a backup in the plumbing.

4. (law enforcement) reinforcements

   He's got a gun! You'd better send for backup.

Synonyms

• (reserve): reserve, stand-in, spare, substitute
• (computing: copy of a file or record):
• (accumulation of material caused by an obstruction of flow): tailback, line (of cars)

Descendants

Translations

Adjective

backup (not comparable)

1. Standby, reserve or extra.

   I am only a backup player.

2. (computing) That is intended as a backup.

   Make a backup copy of that file.

3. Supporting, reinforcing; (music) of or related to accompaniment

Usage notes

Back-up is an alternative spelling of backup. Both spellings are used as either a noun or an adjective. The verb back up is always spelled as two words and never with a hyphen.

Synonyms

• (reserve): extra, reserve, spare, standby
• (supporting): backing

Translations

Verb

backup (third-person singular simple present backups, present participle backupping, simple past and past participle backupped)

1. Misspelling of back up.

Anagrams

• upback

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English backup.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /be?kap/, /?b?.kap/

Noun

backup m (invariable)

1. (computing) backup

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• becape

Etymology

Borrowed from English backup.

Noun

backup m (plural backups)

1. (computing) backup (copy of file or record)