noun
- A reserve or substitute.
- 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.
- 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.
- (law enforcement) reinforcements
Synonyms: line, tailback, reserve, spare, stand-in, substitute
adjective
- Standby, reserve or extra.
- That is intended as a backup.
- Supporting, reinforcing; of or related to accompaniment
Synonyms: extra, reserve, spare, standby, backing
Pronunciation
About this word
Backup is a 2-meaning word in English. Medium-length words often have several interesting anagrams.
This page shows the definition of backup along with every other word you can make from its letters. Click the link above to see all anagrams and shorter words formed from the same set of letters.
How to use this page
Every word in our dictionary has its own page like this one. Here you can:
- Read the definition — see what the word means, how it is used in context, and which part of speech it belongs to.
- Hear the pronunciation — when an audio recording is available, press the play button to hear the word spoken aloud.
- Browse synonyms — see related words that share a similar meaning, useful for expanding your vocabulary.
- Find anagrams — click "Other words from backup's letters" to see every word you can spell using the same letters.
Words in word games
If you are playing a word game, knowing whether a word is valid is essential. Backup appears in our 370,000-word English dictionary, which includes most words accepted in Scrabble and Words With Friends. However, always check the official word list for the specific game you are playing, as different games use different dictionaries.
Scrabble
In Scrabble, the valid word lists are the Official Tournament and Club Word List (OTCWL/NWL) for North America and the Collins Scrabble Words (CSW) for international play. Our dictionary covers most words in both lists, but some proper nouns, abbreviations, and offensive terms may differ.
Wordle
Wordle uses its own curated word list that is smaller than the full Scrabble dictionary. If Backup appears here, it may or may not be a valid Wordle answer — but it is a real English word regardless.
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