back somebody up
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: back something up
Meaning · English
support or confirm someone's statement
Literally: provide physical support behind
Register: neutral
Examples
She backed him up during the meeting
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR B2); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “back somebody up” mean?
support or confirm someone's statement Literally: provide physical support behind
Is “back somebody up” formal or informal?
back somebody up is generally neutral.