backstop
backstopped; backstopping; backstops
In baseball, a backstop is the wall or fence behind home plate that keeps the ball on the playing field. If the batter hits the ball into the backstop, it's a foul ball.
When a softball player is up at bat, the backstop is behind her. Part of the backstop's purpose is to keep players and spectators from getting hurt by foul balls or bats that players toss after hitting the ball. You can also use the word backstop to describe a thing or a person that stands behind something, offering reinforcement or support. The earliest use of the word, in 1819, is from cricket.
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(baseball) a fence or screen (as behind home plate) to prevent the ball from traveling out of the playing field
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(baseball) the person who plays the position of catcher
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act as a backstop
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type of:
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play
participate in games or sport
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play
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a precaution in case of an emergency“he acted as a backstop in case anything went wrong”
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type of:
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guard, precaution, safeguard
a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
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guard, precaution, safeguard
Vocabulary lists containing backstop
Thanks to a magical baseball card, Joe Stoshack travels back in time to 1909 and meets baseball legend Honus Wagner.
This novel traces a family's deep connection to the sport of baseball through nine generations.
This collection of short stories, which draws on the author's own childhood, focuses on Latino and Latina children growing up in California.
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