as in aids
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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Recent Examples of backstops
Senior goalkeeper Giada McGlynn backstops a defense led by juniors Payton Cable, Sophia Duncan and Kasey Glynn and sophomore Sahana Raju.
—
Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstops
Verb
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Furthermore, the work aids nuclear forensics by establishing a mineral fingerprint to reconstruct the specific temperatures and pressures of past or unidentified nuclear events.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
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The addition of spoken word passages by local Geordie poet Cooper Robson, who drifts through balladic descriptions of community, working-class masculinity, and pickled onions, aids Knats in their explorations of their hometown.—
Archie Forde,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
Verb
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And then Paul Harris (who assists Bottas across F1 weekends), who also stayed in the AirBnB in the room next door, is calling me.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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In addition, the money will go towards the Basic Needs Resource Center on campus which assists students facing food insecurity, housing instability and other similar challenges.—
Tarini Mehta,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
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When the Moon enters Taurus, stillness helps the truth feel safe enough to trust.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
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There’s a world where that actually helps reduce pressure and expectations on the filmmakers, which is often the challenge with indies.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backstops.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstops. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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