English

Noun

backstop ‎(plural backstops)

1. A thing or a person put in the rear or in the back of something to reinforce, hold, support.
2. (baseball) A wall or fence behind home plate.
3. (baseball slang) A catcher; the position of catcher.
4. (rounders) The player who stands immediately behind the striking base.
5. (cricket, dated) The longstop.
6. (cricket, dated) The wicket-keeper.

Verb

backstop ‎(third-person singular simple present backstops, present participle backstopping, simple past and past participle backstopped)

1. (transitive) To serve as backstop for.
2. (transitive) To bolster, support.
   • 2013 March 26, Douglas Busvine and Darya Korsunskaya, “Russia backstops Cyprus bailout despite anger”, in Reuters:

     Russia signalled on Monday it would backstop the European Union's bailout of Cyprus despite anger that the weekend rescue deal would impose heavy losses on uninsured depositors, many of them Russian.

Alternative forms

• back-stop