backs (up)

verb

present tense third-person singular of back (up)
1
as in testifies (to)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in coagulates

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backs (up)
  1. bears out
  2. coagulates
  3. witnesses
  4. hardens
  5. sets
  6. congeals
Verb
  • Store clean grills and smokers in a secure area that keeps bears out.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Wildlife officials say recent drought conditions have reduced natural food sources in parts of Colorado, pushing bears out of the mountains and into communities in search of food.
    — Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of bears out
Verb
  • Reciprocal male-on-male mounting among corpse-eating burying beetles increases with heat stress, and chronic heat stress coagulates the blood of Holstein Friesian cattle.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of coagulates
Verb
  • Now police are asking business owners and anyone who witnesses the behavior to report it directly to police.
    — Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • This does not sit well with Chapel, who witnesses the exchange then storms off angrily.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of witnesses
Verb
  • The gossip hardens into something more official, as fellow teachers and school authorities start to treat her personal life as a disciplinary matter.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Europe hardens on migration as nationalist support grows European countries sought to harden migration rules in a bid to quell support for nationalist parties across the continent.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of hardens
Verb
  • That initial movement sets the direction of the snail’s shell coiling and the development of its internal anatomy.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Fundraising is a huge part of what sets the presidential candidates apart from one another.
    — Jacob Brogan, Vox, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of sets
Verb
  • When the cast finally congeals at Kyle’s summer solstice party, Rachel is right up in there in the mix.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Definition of congeals
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

backstreets
backs (up)
backs (up or away)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Backs (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backs%20%28up%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All