What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Backstop vs Backup - What's the difference?

backstop | backup |

As nouns the difference between backstop and backup

is that backstop is a device that prevents railroad cars from rolling off a railroad track while backup is a reserve or substitute.

As a verb backstop

is to serve as backstop for.

As an adjective backup is

standby, reserve or extra.

backstop

English

Noun

(wikipedia backstop) (en noun)
  • A device that prevents railroad cars from rolling off a railroad track.
  • (baseball) A wall behind home plate.
  • A catcher; the position of catcher
  • Verb

    (backstopp)
  • To serve as backstop for.
  • To bolster, support.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2013 , date=March 26 , author=Douglas Busvine and Darya Korsunskaya , title=Russia backstops Cyprus bailout despite anger , work=Reuters citation , page= , passage=Russia signalled on Monday it would backstop the European Union's bailout of Cyprus despite anger that the weekend rescue deal would impose heavy losses on uninsured depositors, many of them Russian.}}

    backup

    English

    Alternative forms

    * back-up

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A reserve or substitute.
  • If the goalkeeper is injured, we have a backup .
  • (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 .
  • An accumulation of material that halts the flow or movement of something.
  • The blockage caused a backup in the plumbing.
  • (law enforcement) reinforcements
  • He's got a gun - you better send for backup .

    Synonyms

    * (reserve ): reserve, stand-in, spare, substitute * (computing: copy of a file or record ): * (accumulation of material that halts flow ): block, blockage

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Standby, reserve or extra.
  • I am only a backup player.
  • (computing) That is intended as a backup.
  • Make a backup copy of that file.

    Synonyms

    * (reserve) extra, reserve, spare, standby

    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.