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Back Up (Traffic Jam)

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Meaning 1 of 3
Definition

To become slowed or stopped because of congestion

Example sentence
"Traffic is backed up on the 405."
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
Clip 1
⏱ Timestamp
15:51 Mins
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Clip 2
⏱ Timestamp
24:19 Mins
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Clip 3
⏱ Timestamp
8:57 Mins
Open on YouTube
Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
  • traffic was backed up
  • cars backed up
  • backed up for miles
  • roads backed up
  • the highway backed up
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
  • The cars backed up quickly.
  • The cars backed quickly up.