backloading

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablefinance

   Arranging a payment, cost or benefit so most of it comes late in a period, not at the start.

   Grammar: Uncountable: backloading of the payments.

   Patterns

   • backloading of something

   Backloading of the contract meant the biggest payments came in year five.

   The team criticized the backloading of the budget cuts.

   Backloading helps a company's early cash flow.

2. 2noununcountablebusiness

   Putting freight on a truck for the return trip so the vehicle is not empty.

   Grammar: Uncountable: backloading reduces empty trips.

   Patterns

   • backloading on the return trip

   Backloading cut the haulage firm's fuel costs.

   The driver arranged backloading from the port to the depot.

   Backloading keeps trucks from driving empty.

Common combinations

backloading of payments

The backloading of payments worries the council.

contract backloading

Contract backloading can hide future costs.

avoid backloading

They want to avoid backloading the pay rises.

backloading trucks

Backloading trucks saved the firm money.

Synonyms and how they differ

deferral

Deferral means postponing something, whereas backloading means arranging for most of it to fall later.

postponement

Postponement is a general delay and does not imply a plan that weights costs toward the end.

return loading

Return loading is the transport meaning and is plainer than the finance term backloading.

Opposites

Word family

backload verb

to place more of something later

back-loaded adjective

weighted toward the later part

frontloading noun

putting most of it at the start

Commonly confused: backloading or frontloading?

Practice

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