backlog

noun

Definition of backlognext
as in inventory
a large number of jobs or items that are waiting to be finished or processed We have a huge backlog of orders yet to be filled.

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of backlog The New York City Council is considering a new bill to address the city's backlog of emergency calls as some say the situation has reached critical mass. — Ali Bauman, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 But the project is considered a low priority, and the city has a huge backlog of road improvement plans. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026 The company’s record backlog, exposure to priority defense programs, raised guidance and improving cash flow all support the case for further upside. — Tony Zhang, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026 The subsequent backlog led to significant delays in approval, with Chinese exports of rare-earth magnets plummeting 74 percent in May from a year earlier. — Gloria Xiong, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for backlog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backlog
  1. inventory
  2. supply
  3. collection
  4. pile
  5. accumulation
  6. hoard
  7. cache
  8. stockpile
Noun
  • As crude inventories in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve drain toward their operational limits, America is left, armed with just 300 million barrels.
    — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The jurist raised concerns about the state of the RMS Titanic collection and ordered that an inventory of the items and their condition be filed with the court.
    — Liam Bowman, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of inventory
Noun
  • Now, Tokyo is investing elsewhere to shore up future supplies.
    — Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Industry experts generally expect crude oil and LNG tankers to be granted priority clearance due to their criticality to global energy supplies, while container ships and other cargo vessels may face longer wait times.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of supply
Noun
  • Last year, Tatcha launched a Longevity collection inspired by Okinawan rituals, which so far includes a skin-boosting serum and cream, respectively.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • A Little Rock police incident report lists Shelton as a suspect in the theft of mail from the post office at 7401 Colonel Glenn Road, where a blue postal collection box had been broken into early Friday.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of collection
Noun
  • The government still has not come up with a solution to the mountainous piles of rotting garbage that accumulate on the streets for months.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Cole went online, bought Steiffs by the piles, and lined the shelves of King’s bedroom.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of pile
Noun
  • Kusama represented Japan at the 1993 Venice Biennale, becoming the first female artist to solely represent Japan at the event, and the accumulation of her work was met with acclaim.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Bardy and his team engineered neurons from skin cells donated from children diagnosed with the syndrome, recreating the accumulation of heparan sulfate, as well as the resulting inflammation and cell death.
    — Mike McRae August 26, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of accumulation
Noun
  • Hig captured their graffiti in the beginning of the film, and a hoard of them — covered in facepaint — attack both Cima and Pops’ camp as well as Bangley, who is left alone when Hig goes out to find Cima and Pops.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Further specialist analyses will help determine whether the Kojetín hoard had a comparable significance.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of hoard
Noun
  • Switzerland imagines Highsmith as a recluse in the Alps, closely guarding a cache of weapons and secrets after a lifetime spent writing mysteries.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Sign Up for Our Free Daily Newsletter NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory just dropped a new cache of photographs that capture the stunning beauty of different types of galaxies across the universe.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of cache
Noun
  • In March, the agency coordinated the release of 400 million barrels from these emergency oil stockpiles, the largest such intervention in its history.
    — Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Kiffin is almost certain to field explosive offenses and stockpile talent through the transfer portal.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of stockpile

Browse Nearby Words

backlashes
backlog
backlogs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Backlog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backlog. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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