back me up

Meanings

1. 1phrasephrasal verb

   To support someone by saying or showing that they are right.

   Grammar: The object pronoun goes in the middle: back me up. You can also say 'back up my story' with a noun object after 'up'.

   Patterns

   • back someone up
   • back up someone's story
   • back someone up on something

   If I tell the teacher I was sick, will you back me up?

   My sister backed me up when the others said I was wrong.

   Can you back me up on this point at the meeting?

2. 2phrasephrasal verbcomputing

   To make a copy of computer data so it is not lost if something goes wrong.

   Grammar: Used mainly in computing. The object can come after 'up': back up your files, or between: back them up.

   Patterns

   • back up data
   • back up files
   • back something up

   Please back me up before I update the system.

   He backed up all his photos onto an external drive.

Common combinations

back me up on this

I need you to back me up on this at the meeting.

back up a claim

The report backs up his claim that costs are rising.

back up your files

Always back up your files before installing new software.

Synonyms and how they differ

support

More formal and general; it can be used in writing where 'back up' would sound too casual.

confirm

Focuses on showing that something is true, not on helping the person.

Opposites

Word family

backup noun

A copy of data, or extra help.

backing noun

Support or help, especially money.

Commonly confused: back me up or back out?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “back me up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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