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backup

noun · adjective

Simple meaning

A copy of a file or record, stored separately from the original.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bakuhp

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbækəp

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. computing

    A 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.

  2. Any support or extra help.

  3. An accumulation caused by clogging or a stoppage

  4. 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.

  5. A reserve or substitute.

  6. Corroboration.

adjective

  1. Standby, reserve or extra.

  2. Supporting, reinforcing; (music) of or related to accompaniment

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A 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.

Used this way, backup is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a computing use: it carries a fixed technical meaning inside software and systems work.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Technology
  • Technical/specialist writing
  • Business/professional

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use backup

  • “He made a backup in case the original was accidentally damaged or erased.”noun
  • “A traffic backup on the main street.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Copy

backup copybackup filebackup software

Accumulation

full backup

Takes

battery backup

Other combinations

backup withholdingdifferential backupbackup system

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • backup filenounCompound term

    A computer file dedicated to storing and updating computer backups.

  • backup mannounCompound term

    Someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult).

  • backup systemnounCompound term

    A computer system for making backups.

  • computer backupnounCompound term

    A copy of a file or directory on a separate storage device.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.