Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for backbone. Search instead for backbones.
Definitions

backbone

[bak-bohn] / ˈbækˌboʊn /


NOUN
spinal column of vertebrate
Synonyms


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.

“As the backbone of the digital economy, compute is the new oil of the 21st century,” CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy said in a statement.

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

The corridor's backbone is the historic Benguela railway, which runs west to east from Lobito to the Congolese border.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

What I’d like to see is a bit of backbone.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

Following the death of their leader Yevgeni Prigozhin in 2023, most of the group's operations were taken over by the Russian defence ministry, which provided the backbone to the newly-created Africa Corps.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 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




Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "backbone" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com