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

Some of those hoping for a change in the law fear the health secretary’s interventions risk putting plenty of Labour MPs off backing it.

From BBC

Having lost the backing of the Sierra Club, America’s anti-immigration movement turned more explicitly to climate change — and to one of Zuckerman’s Sierra Club colleagues, Leon Kolankiewicz, an environmental planner versed in sprawl and impact studies and a longtime proponent of the idea that the planet had a limited carrying capacity.

From Salon

With the Supreme Court backing him, Trump will ban reporters the administration deems “fake news” or “enemies of the people.”

From Salon

“As I was backing out, then I could see it,” McWaid said.

From Los Angeles Times

Zuckerberg leads the vocals on the uncensored take on the hip-hop tune, with T-Pain offering ad-libs, backing vocals and a verse of his own.

From BBC

Related Words

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