| Library / English Dictionary |
BACKUP
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of providing approval and support
Example:
his vigorous backing of the conservatives got him in trouble with progressives
Synonyms:
backing; backup; championship; patronage
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("backup" is a kind of...):
approval; approving; blessing (the formal act of approving)
Derivation:
back up (give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(computer science) a copy of a file or directory on a separate storage device
Example:
he made a backup in case the original was accidentally damaged or erased
Synonyms:
backup; computer backup
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("backup" is a kind of...):
duplicate; duplication (a copy that corresponds to an original exactly)
Domain category:
computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)
Derivation:
back up (make a copy of (a computer file) especially for storage in another place as a security copy)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A musical part (vocal or instrumental) that supports or provides background for other musical parts
Synonyms:
accompaniment; backup; musical accompaniment; support
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("backup" is a kind of...):
part; voice (the melody carried by a particular voice or instrument in polyphonic music)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "backup"):
descant; discant (a decorative musical accompaniment (often improvised) added above a basic melody)
vamp (an improvised musical accompaniment)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult)
Example:
we need extra employees for summer fill-ins
Synonyms:
backup; backup man; fill-in; relief; reliever; stand-in; substitute
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("backup" is a kind of...):
compeer; equal; match; peer (a person who is of equal standing with another in a group)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "backup"):
locum; locum tenens (someone (physician or clergyman) who substitutes temporarily for another member of the same profession)
double; stunt man; stunt woman (a stand-in for movie stars to perform dangerous stunts)
alternate; replacement; surrogate (someone who takes the place of another person)
Sense 5
Meaning:
An accumulation caused by clogging or a stoppage
Example:
he discovered a backup in the toilet
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("backup" is a kind of...):
accretion; accumulation (an increase by natural growth or addition)
Derivation:
back up (become or cause to become obstructed)
