backboard

noun

back·​board ˈbak-ˌbȯrd 

1

: a board placed at or serving as the back of something

especially : a rounded or rectangular board behind the basket on a basketball court which serves to keep missed shots from going out-of-bounds and from which the ball can be made to rebound into the basket

2

: a stiff board on which an injured person and especially one with neck or spinal injuries is placed and immobilized in order to prevent further injury during transport

Examples of backboard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Forcing the opposing center away from the backboard creates space for our players to drive unimpeded to the basket. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026

Dodgers keep ‘hanging around the backboard’ Waiting out the market is a familiar playbook for the Dodgers and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. —Katie Woo, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026

Embiid tried to chase Brown down for a block, but the ball had already touched the backboard when the Nuggets' nemesis got to it. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 6 Jan. 2026

City officials say the parking fee helps cover city efforts to maintain the park and its buildings, but the lawn bowling club covers the maintenance costs for its greens and two years ago paid the full cost for new concrete backboards, Wageman said. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for backboard

• abroad
• applaud
• ballade
• defraud
• ephod
• facade
• guffawed
• outlawed
• ramrod
• roughshod
• slipshod
• tripod

Kids Definition

backboard

noun

back·​board ˈbak-ˌbōrd 

-ˌbȯrd

: a board placed at the back or serving as a back

especially : a rounded or rectangular board behind the basket on a basketball court

Medical Definition

backboard

noun

back·​board -ˌbȯrd 

: a stiff board on which an injured person and especially one with neck or spinal injuries is placed and immobilized in order to prevent further injury during transport