0 (in rounders) a player who stands directly behind the player from the opposing team who is trying to hit the ball, and attempts to catch the ball after it has been thrown if the person does not hit it
1 (in baseball) a high fence behind the player hitting the ball, that prevents balls from leaving the playing area if they are not hit or caught
2 something such as a plan or method that can be used if all other plans or methods fail:
He appealed to state officials to provide a financial "backstop" in case the boom sours unexpectedly.
The state has the army as a backstop protecting its interests.
The backstop is a kind of insurance policy that would prevent a hard Irish border in the event of no permanent trade deal.
Mechanical role of backstops in the growth of forearcs.
I know that there are all kinds of backstops.
In their framework, a social planner maximizes consumer plus from production of water through recharge and desalination, the latter being a backstop resource.
Chapter 8 considers the problem of investment in a backstop technology that can substitute for natural resource use, an example of such a technology being alternative energy.
They are not only guarantors, they are also the backstop and the referee.
