backbreaker
Britishnoun
-
a wrestling hold in which a wrestler uses his knee or shoulder as a fulcrum to bend his opponent's body backwards
-
informal an extremely arduous task
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I don’t want to make a living in that. I understand that. But I do know how much of a backbreaker that can be on a defense.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The duo combined to make eight of 16 three-pointers, including one by Cryer with 2 minutes 50 seconds left that was nearly a backbreaker after the Bruins had pulled within one point.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2022
After Rittich stonewalled numerous Carolina rushes in the third, Hanifin provided the backbreaker with 6:55 to go.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 3, 2019
Tampa Bay’s final goal, a backbreaker that made it 4-1, may have been the most hopeless for Holtby.
From Washington Post ● May 16, 2018
Seabiscuit would carry 114 pounds, probably not as few as Smith had hoped for, but no backbreaker either.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
