0
Meantolearn Posted 21 years ago
Vocabulary

back up

Traffic started to back up.

What does 'back up' mean here?

Thanks,
  

Top answer

Hi, Here, 'back up' means that there is an obstruction on the road, or perhaps an accident, and a line of stopped or slow cars starts to form. The line of cars has a front and a back, and as more cars join at the back, we say the line of traffic is backing up . Another example is an obstruction in a drain, where we say the water is backing up in the drain, or even just that the drain itself is backing up.

— Clive

  • Hi, Here, 'back up' means that there is an obstruction on the road, or perhaps an accident, and a line of stopped or slow cars starts to form.
  • The line of cars has a front and a back, and as more cars join at the back, we say the line of traffic is backing up .
  • Another example is an obstruction in a drain, where we say the water is backing up in the drain, or even just that the drain itself is backing up.
  • Best wishes, Clive
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
Hi,

Here, 'back up' means that there is an obstruction on the road, or perhaps an accident, and a line of stopped or slow cars starts to form. The line of cars has a front and a back, and as more cars join at the back, we say the line of traffic is backing up.

Another example is an obstruction in a drain, where we say the
0

Related Questions