backbend
noun
back·bend
ˈbak-ˌbend 
1
: a movement (as in gymnastics) in which from a standing position with the knees straight the body is arched backward until the hands touch the floor over the head
2
: a posture or pose (as in yoga) that extends the front of the body and bends the spine backwards
… this action supports your lower back and generates a strong lift of the belly out of the pelvis to help release the spine into a deep backbend.—
Barbara Benagh
Barbara BenaghExamples of backbend in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In post-production, each frame was stitched together with a little bit of CGI (okay, a lot of CGI) to get that slow-motion backbend as his character, Neo, dodges a volley of air-distorting bullets.
—Joe Salas
june 07, New Atlas, 7 June 2025
Cobra Pose This backbend helps stretch the chest, shoulders, and abdominal muscles.
—Amber Sayer, Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2025
The joints—and the sacs between each one—allow the skeleton to shift and withstand pressure, even if that particular joint isn’t helping anyone do a backbend.
—Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2025
Under Hutchinson, who arrived in 1977, Inglewood adopted the show style — with its energetic mash-up of music and dance, high-stepping, swaying and gravity-defying backbends — which at the time was largely absent on the West Coast.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for backbend
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Joe Salas
june 07, New Atlas, 7 June 2025
Cobra Pose This backbend helps stretch the chest, shoulders, and abdominal muscles.
—Amber Sayer, Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2025
The joints—and the sacs between each one—allow the skeleton to shift and withstand pressure, even if that particular joint isn’t helping anyone do a backbend.
—Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2025
Under Hutchinson, who arrived in 1977, Inglewood adopted the show style — with its energetic mash-up of music and dance, high-stepping, swaying and gravity-defying backbends — which at the time was largely absent on the West Coast.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for backbend
Cite this Entry
“Backbend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backbend. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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