noun
backlog
BAKLAWG
noun
1
An accumulation of unfinished work, unfilled orders, or unresolved tasks.
"The support team is working through a huge backlog of tickets."
verb
1
To build up as a backlog, or to cause a backlog.
"Staff shortages backlogged shipments for weeks."
How to Use Backlog
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA pile-up of unfinished tasks or unfulfilled orders waiting to be dealt with.
Common pairings
clear the backlog
a backlog of cases
work through a backlog
Word Forms
backlogged past tense, backlogs plural, backlogs singular
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Etymology
Originally a large log burned at the back of a fire; the figurative "stored-up work" meaning emerged in the 1880s.