Definition of "backstop" []

• Sports A screen or fence used to prevent a ball from being thrown or hit far out of a playing area, as in baseball. (noun)
• Baseball A catcher. (noun)
• Something that supports or bolsters. (noun)
• To serve as a backstop for. (verb-transitive)
• To support or bolster: "The firm lacks a topflight strategic-consulting arm to backstop its technology gurus” ( Alex Beam). (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But there are many farm fields around me where my backstop is a mile from the nearest road, and for those thinking they don't have access think again."
• "If you are having trouble finding a range in your area and you live in the country you can build your own backstop by mounding up a dirt pile about 4 feet high and 6 feet long and shoot into that, just make sure the area behind the backstop is safe."
• "I agree with KJ, a few footpounds of energy dumped on a backstop is okay!"