backing

[ bak-ing ]

noun

1. aid or support of any kind.

   Synonyms: sponsorship, encouragement, patronage, sanction, endorsement, assistance, help

2. supporters or backers collectively.
3. something that forms the back or is placed at or attached to the back of anything to support, strengthen, or protect it.
4. Theater. a curtain or flat placed behind a window, entrance, or other opening in a stage set to conceal the offstage area.
5. material for backing a joist or rafter.
6. a bevel given to the outer and upper edge of a hip rafter.
7. the musical accompaniment for a soloist; backup.

backing

/ ˈbækɪŋ /

noun

1. support given to a person, cause, or enterprise
2. a body of supporters
3. something that forms, protects, supports, or strengthens the back of something
4. theatre a scenic cloth or flat placed behind a window, door, etc, in a set to mask the offstage space
5. musical accompaniment, esp for a pop singer
6. the support in gold or precious metals for a country's issue of money in notes
7. meteorol an anticlockwise change in wind direction
8. a passageway running behind a row of terraced houses

Word History and Origins

Origin of backing¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; back ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

It has also failed to win the backing of a bipartisan parliamentary committee that’s been examining the impact of social media on adolescents.

From BBC

Trump showed no sign of backing down on his cabinet pick this week.

From BBC

At the age of 35 he was shot by a firing squad in January 1961, with the tacit backing of Belgium.

From BBC

But she also felt good about the biopic of her life, for which Sahar is working to find backing alongside producer Anthony Hemingway.

From Los Angeles Times

While plans for the new competition remain embryonic, those involved insist there is money behind it, with that financial backing understood to be coming principally from the United States, rather than the Middle East.

From BBC

Related Words

• advocacy
• aid
• assistance
• encouragement
• endorsement
• help
• sponsorship
• subsidy