backstop
noun/ˈbækˌstɑp/
Frequency rank: #18,637 most common English word
Meaning
a person or thing that acts as a final safeguard or support against failure.

Example sentence
The government will serve as backstop to prevent the financial system from collapsing.
Synonyms & related words
Practice this word in the quiz
More words in ranks 18,601–18,700
- antecedentA thing or event that comes before and often influences something that follows; in grammar, the word a pronoun refers to.
- aphasiaA language disorder caused by brain damage that impairs the ability to speak, understand, read, or write.
- aphrodisiaca substance that increases sexual desire or arousal.
- astrophysicalrelating to astrophysics, the branch of astronomy that deals with the physical nature of stars and other celestial bodies.
- asunderInto separate parts; apart.
- bimonthlyOccurring every two months (or sometimes twice a month).
- binocularAn optical instrument with two eyepieces used to magnify distant objects (usually used in the plural form 'binoculars').
- bioethicsthe study of ethical issues arising from advances in biology and medicine.
- bitera person or animal that bites.
- bloatto swell or become enlarged, especially with gas or fluid