Backup Meaning
/ˈbækˌʌp/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA reserve or substitute.
nounA copy of a file or record, stored separately from the original, that can be used to recover the original if it is damaged or destroyed.
Sentence Examples
Jane radioed the dispatcher for backup.
No problem. If X happens, we have Y as a backup.
The police had backup from the army.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
Our hard drive crashed, so we restored all files from the latest ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is important to create a ____ of your important computer files.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English back updeverb. English backup Deverbal from back up.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Shaman: My patience is tested, but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?
Shepard: How is a candidate tested if he brings backup on his Rite of Passage?
Shaman: Not every krogan can be the strongest warrior, but each must inspire his peers to battle at his side.
Shaman: If the ones who know you best can find nothing worthy in you, you should wander the wastes and die alone before you weaken my clan."
— 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Tuchanka:
"This guy, he grabs the dog by the ears, stares it down like a cowboy in a showdown. The man regains control again. He scans the area, hoping for backup. Nothing. No neighbours, no dog whisperers, no animal control."
— 2025, Man Attacked by Vicious Pit Bull After Gate Left Open!:
"Debbie Ahn, on piano, provided some mesmerizing back-up and many fiery, on-target solos."
— 1984 April 21, Pam Gordon, “'There's Always Cost': Ferron's Boston Concert”, in Gay Community News, page 17:
"Pg. 206 on Yudit's comments on the feminists of Tel Aviv, "... and now they are translating Our Bodies Ourselves into Hebrew, leaving out the section on gays" was misinformed, a statement made without authoratative ^([sic]) backup in 1979 about a book first published in 1982."
— 1982 December 4, Ilana Weinstock, “Letters From My Aunt”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 20, page 4:
"We have two methods for backupping: the first one is writing the contents of disks onto magnetic tapes and the other is making a copy of the contents of disks on the disk of the mainframe computers of the laboratory."
— 1989, CERN, page 235:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Our hard drive crashed, so we restored all files from the latest ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is important to create a ____ of your important computer files.