Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Plural form of backstop.
  • verb Third-person singular simple present indicative form of backstop.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word backstops.

Examples

  • Identities were what the American agency referred to as backstops, not simply the flash-identities used on one-time operations that would not stand up under close scrutiny.

    Final Resting Place of The Pen 2010

  • He has hinted that a model might be found in the Advertising Standards Authority ASA, an industry-funded body that mostly uses peer pressure to police advertising, but can call on legal "backstops"-official regulators with the power to punish stubborn offenders.

    The Economist: Daily news and views 2011

  • He has hinted that a model might be found in the Advertising Standards Authority ASA, an industry-funded body that mostly uses peer pressure to police advertising, but can call on legal "backstops"-official regulators with the power to punish stubborn offenders.

    The Economist: Daily news and views 2011

  • Freddie's chairman and chief executive, said that the company doesn't expect to need those Treasury "backstops" but that they provide reassurance in case "financial and housing markets deteriorate even much more severely than we're currently expecting."

    Freddie Posts Loss, 2008

  • The English system effectively 'backstops' this risk completely.

    Felix Salmon - All posts 2009

  • In its twice-yearly Financial Stability Report, the ECB said it is now vital for governments to implement the deal they agreed on Dec. 9, strengthening fiscal discipline across the region and increasing the firepower of financial backstops to tackle the crisis.

    ECB Sees Risks Up Sharply Geoffrey T. Smith 2011

  • Which further backstops Israel's hand, not that the right-wing critics of Barack Obama, including the GOP presidential candidates, whose caricature of Obama on defense policy is so extreme that even George Will can't believe it.

    William Bradley: Drifting to War with Iran: Beware the Hysteria William Bradley 2012

  • Which further backstops Israel's hand, not that the right-wing critics of Barack Obama, including the GOP presidential candidates, whose caricature of Obama on defense policy is so extreme that even George Will can't believe it.

    William Bradley: Drifting to War with Iran: Beware the Hysteria William Bradley 2012

  • "We are encouraging the member states to ensure they have the necessary national financial backstops in case the stress tests reveal a weakness of capitalization," he said.

    EU Gives Details on Talks Over Fund Matthew Dalton 2011

  • If there is a reason why she appears to be the last person in the world to accept the need for more efficient backstops to shore up the euro zone's weaker members, it is because she is quite naturally reluctant to go down in history as the chancellor who dumped the debts of Southern Europe on her own electorate's shoulders.

    Amid the Panic, Merkel Will Have Little Choice Geoffrey T. Smith 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.