1. A man who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult)
   "The police officer's backup man arrived quickly when the situation escalated"

Derived forms: backup men

Type of: adult male, backup, bozo [N. Amer, informal], cat [N. Amer, informal], chappie [Brit, informal], fill-in, geezer [Brit, informal], guy [informal], hombre [N. Amer, informal], man, relief, reliever, sod [informal], stand-in, substitute