English Lexicon

Backup plan

/ˈbæk.ʌp plæn/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #4500 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A strategy or alternative course of action designed to be implemented if the primary plan fails.

    "It's always wise to have a backup plan in case the event gets canceled."
  2. 2

    A secondary option that can be used when the first choice is not available.

    "She had a backup plan for her travel arrangements in case of bad weather."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The term combines 'backup', derived from the 19th-century verbal phrase meaning to move backward or provide support, and 'plan', originating from Latin 'planus' via French meaning a flat representation or scheme. Together, the compound phrase emerged in modern business and everyday English during the mid-20th century to describe an alternative course of action.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Backup plan"?

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Backup plan"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Backup plan" Synonym Map