Backlog

//ˈbæk.lɒɡ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A large log to burn at the back of a fire.

    "While she was preparing my breakfast, I chopped off a backlog and put it on the fire,[…]"

  2. 2
    an accumulation of jobs not done or materials not processed that are yet to be dealt with (especially unfilled customer orders for products or services) wordnet
  3. 3
    A reserve source or supply.
  4. 4
    something kept back or saved for future use or a special purpose wordnet
  5. 5
    An accumulation or buildup, especially of unfilled orders, unconsumed products or unfinished work.

    "He went to work on Saturday to try to work through the backlog of papers on his desk."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    the large log at the back of a hearth fire wordnet
  2. 7
    A log containing text previously read, as in text-based video games or chat rooms.
Verb
  1. 1
    To acquire something as a backlog, or to become a backlog ambitransitive
  2. 2
    accumulate and create a backlog wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
reserveabundanceaccumulateaccumulationace in the holeaggregation

Example

More examples

"Thanks to you, the backlog of tedious work has been completed."

Etymology

From back + log. 1680s; originally a large log at the back of a fire. Figurative sense from 1880s, meaning "something stored up for later use". Possibly influenced by logbook as well.

Related phrases

visual novel

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.