backbone

American  

[bak-bohn] / ˈbækˌboʊn /

noun

backbones plural

1. Anatomy. the spinal column; spine.

2. strength of character; resolution.

   Synonyms:

   fortitude, decision, firmness

3. something resembling a backbone in appearance, position, or function.

4. Bookbinding. a back or bound edge of a book; spine.

5. Nautical. a rope running along the middle of an awning, as a reinforcement and as an object to which a supporting bridle or crowfoot may be attached.

6. Naval Architecture. the central fore-and-aft assembly of the keel and keelson, giving longitudinal strength to the bottom of a vessel.

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backbone British  

/ ˈbækˌbəʊn /

noun

1. a nontechnical name for spinal column

2. something that resembles the spinal column in function, position, or appearance

3. strength of character; courage

4. the main or central mountain range of a country or region

5. nautical the main longitudinal members of a vessel, giving structural strength

6. computing (in computer networks) a large-capacity, high-speed central section by which other network segments are connected

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backbone Scientific  

/ băk′bōn′ /

1. See vertebral column

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backbone Cultural  

1. The primary line(s) that connects the slower, shorter cable portions of a communications network together. (See last mile.) In larger networks, such as the Internet, a backbone consists of high-capacity, high-speed lines that can extend over great distances.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• backboned
  adjective
• backboneless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• backbones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of backbone

1250–1300; Middle English bacbon. See back ¹, bone ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

backbone backbones

After being asked to bat first the Steelbacks survived a monumental collapse, losing their final eight wickets for 31 to post 169, opener Ricardo Vasconcelos providing the backbone with 88.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Taliban authorities have vowed to boost economic self-sufficiency and move off a reliance on foreign aid, which once formed the backbone of the previous US-backed government's finances.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

“In cloud computing, Alibaba has clear market leadership as the backbone of digitalization across different industries,” the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

“Family caregivers are the backbone of our long-term-care system,” Westrick said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Clusters of birds were perched along its broken backbone, watching us as we blew past the stop sign and turned the corner.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

For decades, palaeontologists believed that the largest ocean predators were vertebrates with backbones such as fish and reptiles while invertebrates like octopuses and squid played supporting roles.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

“If you look at the collection of companies that ultimately formed Lumen, the underlying technologies and backbones were never integrated,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026

In 1981, researchers uncovered a set of ancient snake backbones at Hordle Cliff on England's south coast.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 31, 2025

Animals without a backbones evolved first, around 700 million years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Some lucky chance in our worlds long ago must have meant that creatures with backbones had it a bit easier, so all kinds of other shapes developed, all based on the central spine.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• foundation
• spine